


Haven't Had Enough

by misslou



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Lifeguards, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dorks in Love, Eventual Gavin Free/Michael Jones, Falling In Love, M/M, Mavin, Mild Language, RageHappy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2018-02-09 09:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 42,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1976952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misslou/pseuds/misslou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael Jones had been working as a lifeguard for a number of years, used to the same faces working alongside him. As Michael works through his last year before college as a lifeguard, a new face replaces his usual co-worker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sun bore down on Michael’s back, causing sweat to drip down the sides of his face. He hated the fact that lifeguards couldn’t jump in the pool when they got too hot. The Texas heat was overwhelming, and he had to sit on his ass and watch everyone swim and have a good time in the community pool. It pissed him off how he would go hours without even touching the water, with sweat continuing to glisten from all areas of his skin. 

Michael didn’t even get to tan that much. He was born naturally pale, and being in the sun all day didn’t make him as dark as a lot of the other lifeguards. He wasn’t muscular like the other heartthrobs, and didn’t have busty girls in bikinis fawning over him as he sat in the lifeguard chair. He was a sitting duck, and often wished people would start drowning just so he could _do something_. He hated being a lifeguard and looking like a disgruntled white kid who couldn’t tan. 

“Hey Michael!” a voice called from the opposite side of the pool. It was Blaine Gibson, a hot tanned beach babe with washboard abs that made Michael jealous every time he was on pool duty. They often had shifts together, and Michael was forced to watch Blaine, complete with sunglasses and hot pink swim trunks, watch over the pool. The girls often did things to impress him. Blaine was all that and a bag of chips, at only eighteen years old. 

Michael raised his eyebrows, picking his chin up from resting on his palm. “Hey, Blaine.” he said back, less enthusiastically as he watched a group of middle school girls do cheerleading stunts in the shallow end of the pool. “It’s hot out here.” Michael wanted to curse, but tried his best to censor himself when he was on duty. 

Blaine nodded, looking to the distance as the sun glistened against his shades. “Yeah it is,” he agreed. “And it’s only 2:30.” 

Michael internally cursed the June heat. He picked up being a lifeguard as a summer job every year, and vowed every time that it would be his last year. He couldn’t stand it. Every day was the same. Nobody even drowned, so what was the use of sitting there and worrying about getting sunburnt? 

Michael groaned, leaning back in the lifeguard chair and scanning his eyes across the pool. The water looked so tempting. It was a light aqua, and was making those sunlit ripples that made a pool always look so satisfying. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, except for Michael. He hated being so bitter, but didn’t know how else to feel. 

“Three more hours,” he said halfheartedly, looking back over at Blaine who was bent forward, crossing his hands over his knees. 

Blaine smiled with perfect, ivory teeth. Everything about him was so perfect that it disgusted Michael. He liked talking to Blaine and everything, but the two of them were just so different. He was tan, Michael was pasty white. Blaine was muscular, Michael was anything but. Blaine had a new girlfriend every month, Michael hadn’t had one since the 7th grade. It pissed him off. 

“Want me to see if we can jump in for a few seconds?” Blaine offered, pulling out his phone to call the lifeguard manager. 

Michael nodded, squinting against the sun and feeling his shoulders start to burn. “That’d be great,” he agreed, relaxing a bit and feeling his mouth water as he focused on jumping into the pool. 

Blaine rang up the lifeguard, laughed, and was able to hang up within seconds of calling. This was a good sign. He gave a slight head nod at Michael as he stood from his podium. Michael was relieved that his manager allowed them to jump in. He followed Blaine in walking down from his chair and to the sides of the pool, where he watched Blaine do a perfect dive into the deep end. 

Blaine popped up after a second, and caused a bit of attention from the girls. He smirked at Michael, motioning for him to jump in, before swimming over to mingle with a group of bikini babes. Michael frowned, but managed to dive in and swim to the side of the pool. 

Michael rested his arm on the side of the pool, relieved to have cool water streaming down his face other than sticky sweat. His usually curly russet hair was now soaked and almost blocking his vision. He huffed, wiping the water away from his eyes and glancing at the direction where Blaine had swam off to. He was now casually talking to two bleach-blonde tan girls with ditzy expressions painted on their faces. 

After a few seconds of wall-hugging, Michael decided it would be best for him to return to his post. Nobody was coming up to talk to him, and he was just awkwardly standing at the side of the pool watching everyone swim past. He frowned, heaving himself out of the pool from the side and making the walk back over to his lifeguard stand. He climbed up to the chair and sat, letting the last few drops of cool water drip down his face and fall off his chin. 

Blaine returned a few minutes later, putting his sunglasses back in front of his eyes and looking a bit confused when he saw Michael. “Why’d you get out so quick?” he asked with concern as he adjusted himself on the chair. 

Michael shrugged, scratching his arm where a mosquito had bit him about an hour before. “I got bored,” he said, squinting his eyes against the sunlight. _Also because I have no friends._ Michael chose not to pity himself upon saying what was in his mind. 

Blaine pursed his lips, casting a glance at the deep end of the pool where an overweight boy did a belly flop into the water. “Did you see that girl I was talking to?” he said excitedly, quickly turning his attention to the girls he talked to who were now tanning on their stomachs outside of the pool. 

“Which one?” Michael said unexcitedly. 

“The blonde one.” 

“They’re both blonde.” Michael wished Blaine had an ounce of wisdom in his suntanned mind, but he had gotten used to it. He was eighteen, and a heartthrob, so it was bound to happen. 

Blaine chuckled. “The one in the green swimsuit,” he said, slicking his hair back with his fingers. “Did you see her chest?” he added, mouthing ‘holy shit’ at the end of his statement. 

Michael laughed, reclining in his chair and scanning the pool. There was no one there that he would be attracted to. Michael never really dated anyone, and never thought of it. He didn’t know why. He was seventeen, a rising senior in high school, and didn’t think about girls. He would openly talk about chest and ass sizes with his friends, but he didn’t think anything of it. Girls were a foreign topic, and Michael didn’t really mind. He knew he didn’t have anyone clipping at his heels in the moment anyways. 

“Yeah,” Michael answered, squinting. _I really need some fucking sunglasses._ “You get her number?” 

“Not yet,” Blaine said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. “But I will. She digs me, man.” 

Michael raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Whatever,” he said with a smile. Blaine wasn’t the type of person Michael would hang out with outside of work, but he was fun to listen to. He had just graduated high school and was planning to go to the University of Miami for college. Michael hoped that he would score some fake-boobed, fake blonde, beach bum when he went there to make him happy. 

Michael spent the rest of his shift watching various cheerleading stunts, cannonballs, and whining babies until 5:30, when the pool manager who also managed the lifeguards came to relieve them of their duties. Michael had work every other day, and was thankful each time he got to walk out of the pool grounds. His off-day breezed by, and it always seemed he would have to go back to work within a blink of an eye. 

Michael hurried past Blaine who was busy talking to another girl, this time a brunette, towards his car which had been soaking up the sunlight for the past five hours. Michael braced himself as he boarded his vehicle, immediately pushing in his key and turning his air conditioning to high. He took the time as the car was cooling down to check his text messages. 

There was only one message, and it was from his mom, who asked him to pick up some milk on the way home from work. Michael sighed, throwing his phone into the passenger seat and shoving his car into reverse. He hated running errands, especially after work. He always hoped to get a text from a friend or whoever to hang out, but it was almost never them. It was always his mom or his dad asking him to pick up things from the grocery store, and he hated it. 

Michael drove until arriving at the grocery store, grudgingly turning off his car and collecting his phone from the seat beside him. He exited the car and straightened out the t-shirt he had put on after being relieved of work duty and walked towards the store, able to walk in and buy a gallon of milk within five minutes.

Once home, Michael carried his purchase into the household and set it on the kitchen counter. Mrs. Jones, Michael’s mom, was busy cooking dinner. Michael could see a boiling pot on the stove, and recognized his mother adding ingredients to a pan. Upon hearing the thump of the milk hitting the counter, Mrs. Jones turned and her face lightened when she saw her red-faced son. 

“Welcome home, Michael!” she said, taking the milk and stashing it into the fridge. “How was work?” 

Michael shrugged, turning and beginning to head upstairs. “Fine; the same old.” he said until he was out of talking range. He hated not talking about his personal life to his mom, but he never really had anything to talk about. He explained his job as a lifeguard thoroughly the first few years he did it. Now, it was the same thing everyday, and there was nothing worth explaining. Plus, all he really wanted to do was lounge in bed and play Xbox. 

Michael cringed at how loud he actually shut his door. He had a habit of accidentally slamming it, which made his mother upset. He hoped his mother would be too busy cooking to actually pay attention to the accidental slamming. Michael brushed it off and collapsed on his bed that was neatly made for the pure satisfaction of coming home to it. He took out his phone, and texted his best friend, Ray. 

_5:53 PM / Michael: Hey fag. You up for some Halo?_

Michael used the time spent waiting for Ray to reply to boot up his Xbox and get it ready. He jumped a bit when his phone finally did vibrate. 

_5:56 PM / Ray: totally. Logging on now_

Michael smiled to himself as he read the message. Ray had always been his closest friend, ever since 6th grade. They played Xbox with each other almost every night they could, and he had been in at least one of Michael’s classes every year. Ray was really the only friend Michael could trust with his life. They were a dynamic duo. 

The two played Halo until about 7:00, where Michael’s mom called him down for dinner. He quickly said goodbye to Ray and shut his Xbox off, hurrying down the stairs due to the violent growls of his stomach. He hadn’t eaten since one, which was his lunch break. His mouth watered a bit when he saw the spaghetti served at the dinner table. 

Michael sat down with his hefty helping, and quickly said grace. He instantly dug into the pasta. “You hungry or something?” Mrs. Jones commented upon seeing her son’s appetite. 

Michael grinned, looking up at her and his father through bites. “Yeah,” he managed to answer. The dinner table was usually empty. It was just the three of them, since Michael’s brother had went off to college three years prior. He never came home much, so the house was left to Michael and his parents, which he didn’t really mind. They never bothered him if he was behind closed doors, and they let him have a lot of freedom. 

“Looks like you got some sun today,” his mother commented about the red on his cheeks. Michael sighed. He received that comment about everyday. The red would stay on his cheeks for a few days, and then disappear. He got used to the regular sun on his cheeks, and decided there was nothing he could do to really prevent it. 

After dinner, Michael played Halo until about midnight, where he then crashed and slept for a complete twelve hours.

* * *

Michael returned to work on Thursday, thankful that the clouds were beginning to thicken in the sky. He hoped it would storm on Saturday, therefore he wouldn’t have to go into work. Having a job where your work depended on whether or not it stormed, Michael learned to track the cloud patterns fairly well. 

Michael entered the pool grounds at about 11:30, watching the families who tended to swim earlier in the day swim about the shallow end. He waved at the scrawny boy who took the morning shift as he passed by, having the rest of the afternoon to do what he pleased. 

Upon sitting in the lifeguard seat, Michael noticed Blaine sitting across from him. He was checking his phone, like usual, and paid no attention to Michael taking the podium across from him. _Typical._

It wasn’t until the scheduled pool dive at around 3:00 where Blaine spoke a word. Michael had intentionally swam over to him, who was sitting on the edge of the pool after taking a short swim. 

“What’s up?” Michael asked, pulling himself on the ledge to sit beside him. “You seem quiet today.” 

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” Blaine answered, casting a sideways glance at Michael. “Found out yesterday that my grandma died. We’re going to her farm in Iowa to be with the family for the rest of the summer.” 

Michael was surprised at how open Blaine was with him. He placed his hand on his shoulder solemnly. “Awh, I’m sorry.” he sympathized, looking at the sunlit ripples at the pool in front of him. “I hope everything goes okay.” 

Blaine nodded. “Thanks,” he said, and Michael could tell he was being genuine. “Big man on campus already found a replacement for me.”

Michael snickered at Blaine’s nickname for the pool manager. He spent so long calling him various names that Michael forgot what his actual name even was. “Do you know who?” 

Blaine shrugged, facing Michael through blackened sunglasses. “Nah,” he answered. “All he told me is that he’s British, so that oughta be interesting.” 

Michael thought for a moment. For the rest of the summer, he was going to have some British newcomer facing him instead of the usual Blaine. Part of him was excited to have someone new to look at, but the other half of him wanted it to be a girl. He brushed it off, and decided that he’d know who it was when he showed up on Saturday. 

Michael spent the rest of the day thinking about the new lifeguard, that he didn’t catch a lot of the rule breakers who hung on the rope separating the shallow and deep ends or the other people who hung on the backs of their friends. He didn’t know why he spent so much time thinking about it, just the fact that he would talk to someone that _isn’t Blaine._

Michael said a quick goodbye and gave a half-hug to Blaine when he got dismissed at 5:30, and hurried home for dinner.

* * *

The sky was a strewn pastel blue by the time Saturday rolled around. Michael was disappointed that the storm had come on Friday, and not Saturday. The pool must’ve gotten pretty dirty, but he knew the morning shift would’ve cleaned most of it up. The only excitement he knew he was going to face that day was the new lifeguard. 

Michael climbed into his lifeguard podium facing an empty seat across the pool from him. Blaine wasn’t there checking his phone. Blaine wasn’t there showing off his muscles. There was nobody there, and Michael grew a bit antsy as every second passed. He was upset with himself for being this excited over a person. 

It was almost noon when he spotted the pool manager leading in a unfamiliar face into the pool grounds. Michael couldn’t really get a good look at his distance, but he could see a scrawny boy with dusky brownish blond hair hanging near the manager’s side. He looked anxious, and Michael couldn’t help but snicker. 

“Hope you brought sunblock,” Michael said under his breath as he put on the new sunglasses he had bought at Walmart for 2.50$.


	2. Chapter 2

This is your new coworker for the summer, Gavin Free.” 

Michael cast a downwards glance as the pool manager brought the new lifeguard to meet him. The poor kid was skinny, with his hair gelled up into strange points. He was holding his arms close to his chest, and bit his lip as he met Michael’s glance, which was blocked by sunglasses. 

Michael removed his shades, and bent down a bit. “Michael Jones,” he greeted with a smug grin, letting down his hand for Gavin to shake. 

Gavin took his hand reluctantly, shaking it slow. “Hi,” he said, quietly. “I’m Gavin Free.” 

Michael raised his eyebrows, leaning back in his lifeguard chair and looking out at the pool. “Hope you like the heat,” he said incoherently. “Cause it’s hot as hell out here.” 

The pool manager gave a fake smile as he started to lead Gavin away from Michael’s podium. Michael had come to the conclusion a long time ago that the pool manager didn’t really care for him, so he learned to pretend to be polite and not speak directly to him. 

Gavin wasn’t introduced to the lifeguard podium until about thirty minutes later, where he was given his whistle and a pat on the back from the pool manager. Michael watched Gavin adjust himself in the chair and scan the pool area, trying to hide the confusion shown plainly on his face. 

Michael snorted, seeing a dab of white sunscreen on Gavin’s nose that he had forgotten to rub in. He decided he’d tell him later, or wait until the Brit found out for himself. It was hot, and Michael could already feel the sweat drip down his back. 

“You ever been a lifeguard before?” Michael called over to Gavin, who had his hands crossed over his knees. Michael wanted to hear him talk, and to make sure that he wasn’t a total loser. 

Gavin leaned back a bit, comforted by the fact that he was being talked to by the other lifeguard, who had come across kind of brisk when he had introduced himself. “Last summer,” he answered back, clearing his throat. 

“In Austin?” Michael asked, distracted by a little boy who started an uproar of coughing and spattering.

Gavin nodded, looking at the same kid as he was being comforted by what seemed to be his parents. “Not at this pool, though,” he responded. “I didn’t like the one I was at.”

Michael slowly nodded, putting back on his shades and leaning back in his chair. “Gotcha,” he said. He definitely thought Gavin was an interesting character. He wanted to get him to open up a bit more instead of being an insecure wallflower up against the lifeguard chair. He could sense the discomfort when he had introduced himself earlier. 

“What about you?” Gavin asked back, unaware that he was practically shouting to get his voice past all the screams and shouts from the swimmers. 

Michael shrugged. “This is my fourth year,” he said, looking off into the distance for a moment. “Not my favorite job in the world.” 

Gavin smirked slightly, looking down and noticing the dollop of sunscreen on his nose. He hoped no one had noticed it, but understood that probably everyone did. Rubbing it in, he looked back at Michael. “Agreed,” he mumbled.

* * *

Michael had invited Gavin to come with him on his lunch break to get to know him better, and to get him to break out of his shell. Gavin had agreed, was relieved that he didn’t have to walk to where ever he would go eat, due to the fact that he didn’t own a license.

Gavin walked to Michael’s car, relieved that he could soon feel air conditioner on his skin. He had forgotten how much Texas summers burn, and how much sweat accumulates in a shift in direct sunlight. The interior of Michael’s car was scorching, and he immediately turned the air on as soon as the car started up. 

“You drive?” Michael asked, backing out of the parking space. 

Gavin shook his head, smirking at the fact that he was seventeen years old and didn’t drive. “No,” he responded, glancing at Michael who was plugging in his phone into the USB jack. “Never learned.” 

Michael shrugged, quickly picking a song from his library to play. “I don’t like it,” he added. “But I need a way to get to work.” 

Michael turned up the volume and rolled down his windows. He liked having passing traffic able to hear his beats. His mom didn’t care for it, so Michael was sure to have his music at a reasonable volume when his mom was in the car with him. 

Michael drove into the Subway parking lot and parked his car. He grabbed his wallet from the backseat and got out of the cool interior to the instantly hot temperature outside. Gavin followed him as they entered the building, realizing he still had his lifeguard whistle around his neck. 

Michael and Gavin ordered their food, and sat at a booth near the window. They were only given an hour for lunch, but Michael always took his time. The pool manager was never there to scold them if they were late anyways. 

“So,” Michael said after swallowing the first bite of his meatball sub. “Where are you from exactly?” 

“Oxfordshire, England.” Gavin answered as he opened a bag of chips. “What about you?” 

“New Jersey,” Michael responded with a smirk. “Moved to Austin when I was fifteen. I love it here, but it’s just really fucking hot.” 

Gavin laughed, unraveling his Italian sub and taking a bite of it. “Friends of the family live here, and my parents let me come down every summer. Still deciding if I want to move to America when I graduate school, though.” 

“Do you know of any colleges you want to go to yet?” Michael asked, glancing up at Gavin who was intently looking at him. 

“I can’t find any in England that spike my interest.” 

Michael grinned, taking a swig of Mountain Dew. “Then move here.”

Gavin looked down at the table, snickering inaudibly. “It’s not that easy, Michael,” he mumbled. “I have no one to stay with, nowhere to live, and no money to spend.” 

Michael shrugged, taking another bite of his food and wiping off his marinara-sauced fingers. “Well, you got a year to figure yourself out,” he replied. “I’ve got my heart set on UTD, but it’ll probably change before the end of the year.” 

Michael laughed at Gavin’s blank expression. “University of Texas - Dallas.” he corrected, seeing Gavin’s eyes lighten up as he took another bite of his sub. 

The boys talked about their vague images of their futures until about 1:55, which was five minutes before they were supposed to be back for work. Gavin thanked Michael for taking him to lunch, and Michael said it was no problem. They drove back to the pool, removed their shirts, and took their positions on the lifeguard podium.

Work wasn’t much different than any other day. Nobody drowned, and it was as hot as the devil’s asscrack all day. Michael and Gavin were relived at 5:30, and Michael was sure to swing by Gavin before leaving. 

“So how’d you think your first day went?” Michael asked as Gavin rifled through his bag for a shirt. He was impressed at how Michael was dressed and ready to go home after only minutes of being dismissed. 

Gavin put a shirt on and gathered his towel and sunscreen into his book bag. “Fine,” he answered. “Hot.”

Michael snickered, leaning up against the side of the ‘pool office’ where the pool manager worked whenever he was actually there. “Well it’ll be hot every day,” he said with a smirk. “But whatever, see you tomorrow, Gav.” 

Gavin looked up as Michael started to walk towards the gate. He had known the kid for a day and he was already calling him ‘Gav’ like he’s known him for years. “Wait,” Gavin called out, causing Michael to stop and turn. Gavin didn’t call him back for any reason, but he just knew he didn’t want Michael to go just yet. He didn’t make friends during his summers in America, and from what he could tell, Michael was starting to seem like one. 

“Can I get your number?” Gavin asked fretfully, running his fingers through his dampened hair. A laugh from Michael caught him off guard. 

“At least buy me dinner first,” Michael joked, walking back over to Gavin who had his book bag now on his back. “Kidding,” Michael reassured at the worried glance of the British kid who was watching him intently. 

Gavin passed Michael his phone, and Michael dialed in his number. “Text me whenever,” he said, starting to walk towards the gate again. “I gotta go, my mom’s got dinner on the table. Bye, Gav.” 

Gavin watched him walk towards his car, relieved that Michael wasn’t uncomfortable out by the strange request for his phone number. Normally you ask girls for their numbers, not guys who you just met. Gavin shook away the uneasy thoughts and focused on getting back to his home away from home. 

The Ramsey’s had been friends with Michael’s parents for years, and lived about ten minutes away from the pool - by car. Gavin had forgotten that he couldn’t drive, and sighed at the fact that he had to walk back to the house. He thought about asking Michael to drive him home from now on, but didn’t want to be rude. In the still blistering Texas heat, Gavin started his walk home.


	3. Chapter 3

Michael slept like a rock the following Monday night. He had no recollection of dreams, or even falling asleep. He had spent the previous few nights staying up until the sun rose, and then crashing for twelve hours. Michael had forgotten about work on Tuesday, and slept through his default alarm. 

When Michael finally awoke, it was due to a text message and the vibration up against his cheek. He struggled to open his eyes and focus on the text, and felt very refreshed after his long slumber. He saw that the message was from Gavin, and smiled, but was also confused at how Gavin texted him so early in the morning. 

Except it wasn’t early in the morning. It was 1:45 in the afternoon, and Michael was about two hours late to work. 

_1:44 PM / Gav: Where are you?_

Michael cursed himself under his breath, quickly throwing his sheets off his body and rifling through a pile of clothes on the floor for his swim trunks. He texted Gavin and changed at the same time, almost tripping and falling on his face in the process. 

_1:45 PM / Michael: Shit. I just woke up, on my way_

Gavin snickered, reading the message from Michael and stashing his phone back in the pocket of his trunks. The pool manager hadn’t showed up yet today, and Gavin understood now how Michael would talk about him never looking after them. The day was warm, and the pool was a glistening aqua color. It was a picturesque day, and Gavin had followed Michael’s advice and bought sunglasses the day before. He was starting to get used to the lifeguard routine. 

Michael showed up twenty minutes later, looking half-dressed with his bed-hair still crowning his head and a wrinkled shirt thrown over his body. He walked over to the lounge chair near the pool office where Michael and Gavin stowed their stuff, and took off his shirt. He walked inside the office to collect his lifeguard whistle, and hurried to take his position on the lifeguard chair. 

Michael looked across the pool, meeting Gavin’s glance that was covered in sunglasses. “Good morning,” Gavin said with a smirk, looking more at home in the chair than Michael had ever been. 

Michael wanted to flip Gavin the bird so bad, but refrained due to the fact that he was in a public place. He sighed when he realized he left his sunglasses on the kitchen table. “Shut up, Gavin.” Michael gritted in return, unable to keep from smiling. It was nice having an actual friend around, instead of Blaine, who was uncomfortable each time he talked to Michael. 

“Where’s your shades?” 

It’s almost as if Gavin knew Michael was going to forget them. “At home,” Michael answered, scrunching his nose. “Thanks for waking me up.” 

Gavin nodded, quickly blowing his whistle at two boys who were hanging on the rope. He looked so much like a lifeguard, it was hard to believe he just started working the previous week. 

Michael took Gavin to Five Guys for lunch, and worked the rest of the shift pretty easily. It was then when Gavin invited Michael at his house for the night. 

“Really?” Michael asked in disbelief. He hadn’t been asked to hang out since the summer started - not even by Ray. 

“Yeah,” Gavin said as he grabbed his book bag and went inside the pool office to hang his whistle underneath the hook with his name on it. 

“I’ll text my parents,” he said. There was so much excitement running through him that he began to shiver. “We can take my car.” 

Michael and Gavin walked over to Michael’s silver Honda. Michael dug the key in, receiving a text back from his mom that said “have fun.” He smiled, placing his phone in the cup holder as Gavin instructed him how to get to his house. 

Once at Gavin’s summer home, he led Michael up to the front door and walked inside. It smelled of cinnamon, and had a warm vibe that Michael didn’t usually feel when walking inside his own home. There was a tattooed man with a cartoon-like mustache watching TV on the couch, who turned and stood when he saw Michael and Gavin. 

“Hey, Gavin!” he said enthusiastically. “Who’s this?” 

“This is Michael,” Gavin introduced, glancing over at Michael who was looking around the room. “He’s my coworker.”

Michael looked up at the man with the mustache and shook his hand. “I’m Geoff Ramsey,” Geoff greeted. 

Michael was surprised that Geoff was so cool with him showing up uninvited. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Ramsey.” Michael replied, trying to be as polite as possible.

“Oh please,” Geoff returned, beginning to walk backwards and turning into the kitchen. “Call me Geoff.” 

Michael smiled. He felt so welcome, it was hard to believe he hadn’t met these people before. He looked over at Gavin, who started to walk down a nearby hall. “Come on and set your bag down,” Gavin said, leading Michael to his room at the end of the hall. It was neat, and the bed was made, which was the exact opposite of Michael’s room. 

Dinner was ready about fifteen minutes later, which was where Michael met Geoff’s wife, Griffon. Griffon matched Geoff’s personality, which was warm and enthusiastic, and she bore tattoos up her arms and piercing adorning her nose and ears. 

Michael felt his mouth water as he focused on the steaming chicken in front of him. It was delicious, and the carrots cooked with it added extra color. Michael snatched a piece of the poultry as quickly as he could, his hunger rumbling in his stomach and getting the better of him. 

“So, how old are you, Michael?” Griffon asked, neatly cutting her chicken into small bites with a knife that made Michael think twice about eating like an animal. 

Michael swallowed his first bite, catching Gavin’s sideways glance as he snickered. “Seventeen,” he answered, picking up his knife and cutting his chicken into pieces. “Rising senior.” 

“So is Gavin.” Griffon added. Michael nodded, watching Gavin take a quick sip of his ice water. “You like being a lifeguard?” 

Michael shrugged. “It has it’s moments,” he admitted lowly, stirring around his green beans with his fork. “But I’m excited to get a real job.” 

Griffon chuckled, casting a glance at Geoff who was too caught up in the midst of his dinner to contribute to conversation. “Geoff helps manage a video game company.” she said matter-of-factly. 

Michael raised his eyebrows, taking a bite of his chicken and looking up at Geoff who looked alert when his name was said. “That’s cool,” Michael said. 

“What do you do?” Michael asked Griffon. “Not trying to be rude-” 

Griffon shook her head with a light smile. Everything she did seemed so carefree. “You’re fine,” she reassured, setting her fork down and patting her lips with a napkin. “I do chainsaw art. It’s not a ‘job-job’ but it pays the bills, and it’s fun.” 

“She’s really good.” Gavin said with a wide expression. “People hire her to do stuff.” 

Griffon giggled as she picked back up her utensils to take a bite of food. “Thank you,” she thanked gratefully. She seemed so sweet. Michael thought it was too good to be true to live with _these_ people. He’d kill for a household like this. 

After dinner, Gavin invited Michael up to his room to play Xbox. Michael was surprised that Gavin even had one. He sent himself a friend request on Gavin’s console, and told him to text him any time he wanted to play. They played the Far Cry 3 co-op for about three hours, until both of them got too frustrated to continue, and their backs had a case of the video game stiffness. 

“Mind if I crash here?” Michael asked Gavin, looking at his phone to see a text from his mother asking if he was gonna come home or not. 

Gavin shrugged. “Geoff and Griffon don’t care. You can if you want.” 

Michael grinned, sending a text back to his mom and tossing his phone on the bed. “How do you keep your room so clean?” Michael asked in amazement. It had a nice, fresh cucumber smell to it, and the hard wood floor seemed to shine where the light hit it. 

“Just comes naturally,” Gavin responded. “My parents never let me leave the house without making my bed. They’ve always taught me to keep things clean, so it just happens.” 

“My room is a shithole.” Michael added. “My mom yells at me all the time for it, but who wants to spend hours cleaning a room? Not me.” 

Gavin laughed, switching the TV to the travel channel and reclining back in his bed. “You’re funny, Michael.” he said with a smile. 

Michael ran his fingers through his soft curls, looking backwards at Gavin who’s eyes were focused on the TV. “Thanks, Gav.” he replied. Gavin had been so nice to him over the course of a week. Michael felt like he’d known the British kid for years. Everything just came so naturally when he was around him, and he liked it.

* * *

Michael and Gavin woke up the next day at about noon, due to the sunlight filtering through the windows and into their eyes. Michael had slept in Gavin’s bed, which was a double, and provided more than enough room for both of them to sleep comfortably on both sides. Michael had fallen asleep in his jeans and t-shirt, and his glasses were bent across his face. 

Gavin sat up, and looked beside him at Michael. He immediately giggled at Michael’s bed-hair, which caused his curls to wildly rise and stand straight up on his head. His crooked glasses and reddened cheeks completed the look, and Gavin couldn’t help but laugh at his appearance. 

“What?” Michael said defensively at Gavin’s giggling. He tried his best to flatten his hair and adjust his glasses. “If you’re laughing at my hair, yours isn’t much better.” 

Gavin’s hair was sticking up at multiple angles. It resembled his everyday-gelled look, but much worse. Gavin and Michael spent the first five minutes of their day giggling and laughing at each other’s appearance, before deciding they should scavenge the kitchen for something to eat. 

Griffon had left some bacon she had eaten for breakfast on the stove, and a note saying that she was going out for a job. Geoff worked every day, which meant that Gavin and Michael would be home alone for most of the day. 

“You wanna go out, or just hang here?” Gavin asked as he took a piece of bacon. 

Michael shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We can get something to eat and hang out with some more people, if you want.” 

Gavin didn’t want that. He wanted to hang out with just Michael, but didn’t dare let Michael know that. “Sounds good,” he said with a halfhearted smile. He didn’t know what made him want Michael all to himself, but immediately felt selfish afterwards. 

“I can introduce you to Ray,” Michael said, sliding out his phone to text his friend. “You’ll love him. Is it okay if I tell him to meet us at McDonalds?” 

“Sounds great,” Gavin agreed, finishing his piece of bacon and leaning back in his chair.


	4. Chapter 4

Gavin deducted that Ray was a halfway decent guy upon meeting him at McDonalds. He was short, and skinny, but had a bright smile and looked like a funny guy. Michael said he’d known Ray for a long time, but didn’t share any memories shared with the Puerto Rican kid. Ray had taken kindly to Gavin as well, and before long, talked to him like an old friend. 

“I’ve never met a British kid before.” Ray said, looking at Gavin from across the table. 

Gavin widened his eyes a bit, looking over at Michael who was sitting next to Ray with a smile painted on his face. “I’ve never met a Puerto Rican kid before.” he retorted lightly. 

“True.” Ray agreed. Gavin noted that he said things like ‘true’ and ‘same’ a lot of times. It fit his personality, and Gavin didn’t mind. 

After loitering at McDonalds for about an hour, the trio headed off towards the mall where they entered the food court and sat back down at one of the tables to hang some more. Gavin learned a lot about Ray, but tried to focus on Michael as much as he could. He didn’t want to feel like the intruder on the relationship, but wished he had told Michael that it would be fine with just the two of them. 

“You guys have work tomorrow?” Ray asked, clicking open his phone to check the time. 

Gavin nodded, and Michael groaned. “Don’t remind me,” the curly-haired boy mumbled. “And shut the fuck up, Ray. You don’t even have a job.” 

Ray shrugged lightly, pushing his phone back in his pocket and setting his elbows on the table. “Well, you know,” he sputtered. Gavin laughed at their exchange, but was restless to get up and do something. They had been sitting and talking for the past two hours. 

“So where are we going?” Gavin piped up, hoping to point his friends in the direction of walking around the mall. 

Michael exchanged glances with Ray, but said nothing. “Doesn’t matter to me,” Ray answered after breaking the stare with Michael. “We could just roam.” 

“Sounds fine,” Gavin said brightly. “Come on, Michael.” 

Michael smirked as he stood, pushing in his chair and tapping his pocket for both his phone and wallet. Once he was all set, he joined Ray and Gavin in exiting the food court.

The group hung around the mall until dinnertime, where they swung by Arby’s on the way back to McDonalds for a burger and some fries. Ray said goodbye to both Michael and Gavin before walking to his truck and driving off in the direction of his house. 

“Want me to drop you off before going home?” Michael asked Gavin as they piled into Michael’s car. 

Gavin didn’t want the day to end. He had so much fun hanging out with friends like a normal teenager. It was summer, and he was finally feeling how you should be during the summertime. He enjoyed it. 

“Sure, sounds fine.” Gavin agreed as Michael started up his car and drove back to Gavin’s place. “See you tomorrow, on time?” Gavin asked his friend as he exited from the passenger seat. 

“On time, I promise.” Michael replied with a smile.

* * *

Michael kept his promise. He strode in to the pool grounds at 11:00, which was a whole thirty minutes before he was due to clock in. The lifeguards from the morning shift were still watching over the pool, and Michael realized he had forgotten what they’d looked like due to the fact that he never saw them, let alone say a word to them. Michael chose to come at 11:00 because Gavin told him he came in around that time to talk to the other guards. 

Michael found Gavin at his assigned podium, talking with the boy who was up there. He hadn’t noticed Michael’s arrival yet, so Michael decided that he should just go join the conversation instead of hanging back like a loser. He started walking over, and caught Gavin’s attention as he approached. 

Gavin couldn’t express the joy he felt when he saw Michael there so early at the pool. Michael always made a point to be late to wherever he went. Gavin hoped that when he had told him his usual arrival time, Michael would come to talk, which he did. Gavin smiled and beckoned for Michael to come over. 

“You’re early!” Gavin exclaimed in excitement.

Michael looked up at the unfamiliar lifeguard and nodded to him. He had seen the kid around before, but never talked to him. He had light brown hair and was tanner than Michael, but not as extreme as Blaine. He looked like a decent guy, Michael concluded as he looked back over to Gavin. 

“Yeah,” Michael breathed. “Are you making friends?” 

Gavin snickered and looked up at the lifeguard on duty. “This is Ryan. He works the morning shift.” he introduced as Ryan gave a small wave. 

“Hi,” the lifeguard said softly. 

Michael waved back. “Hey, Ryan.” he greeted in return. 

Gavin looked over his shoulder at the other lifeguard podium. The person seating upon that chair was a red-haired girl. She was wearing a red one-piece bathing suit, which was required to be worn by female lifeguards, and had auburn shades rested on her face. “Why don’t you go talk to Lindsay?” Gavin added, looking at Michael who was watching her pull her hair up in a ponytail. 

“Why don’t _you_ go talk to Lindsay?” Michael retorted, facing Gavin who’s face was already glistening under the Texas sun.

Gavin giggled. “Lindsay knows me,” he replied, leaning against the lifeguard podium. “You only have to talk to her for like, fifteen minutes. Come on Michael. Socialize.”

Michael sighed and began to walk over to the other side of the pool. “Only for you, Gavin.” he mumbled as he walked away. He could almost feel Gavin beam from behind him, which caused him to smirk as he walked over to his stationed lifeguard podium. As he got closer to Lindsay, he could see her toenails were pained purple and she had a small amount of sunburn on her shoulders. 

“Hey,” Michael greeted, looking up at Lindsay who looked down upon hearing the greeting. She took off the sunglasses from her eyes and parked them on top of her head. Michael could see the confusion in her eyes, but tried his best not to let it get to him. 

“Hi,” Lindsay replied, looking over across the pool at Gavin and Ryan who were watching the exchange. “You need something?” 

“No, it’s just that I have the next - um - afternoon shift, and I - you know - Gavin made me - uh - you’re pretty.” Michael struggled to get past his sentence, and he knew that Lindsay probably thought he was some hormone-enraged teenager who just wanted to get in her pants. 

Lindsay giggled. “Say it slowly,” she said, leaning down a bit. 

“I have the afternoon shift and I came early, and wanted to meet you.” Michael said, more calmly. He could feel Gavin watching him from across the pool. 

“Well, you did,” Lindsay replied lightly. “I’m Lindsay Tuggey. Nice to meet you.” 

“I’m Michael Jones,” Michael responded with a smile. 

Michael lost track of time talking to Lindsay, and only knew it was time for shift to start when both Ryan and Gavin called to collect their coworkers. Michael told Lindsay he’d text her when he got out of work, and climbed into his lifeguard podium with her Pink Chiffon perfume lingering in the air. 

“You look a bit red in the face.” Gavin called over to Michael, who was clearly daydreaming.

Michael shrugged, and couldn’t help but grin widely. “Sunburn, probably.” he replied, but knew that it wasn’t sunburn. He was flushed talking to a girl that he might possibly have a future relationship with. He hadn’t had a crush on a girl since middle school. 

Gavin and Michael didn’t exchange many words until their shift ended at 5:30. Michael waited for Gavin, like he always did, and drove him home, promising an Xbox party with him and Ray later that night. He fulfilled the promise, like usual, and didn’t go to bed until about 3:00 AM, texting Lindsay all throughout the night.

The following morning, Michael was up somewhat early. He texted Lindsay and Gavin first thing, asking if either of them wanted to hang out. Lindsay couldn’t, but Gavin could, so Michael invited him to his house. 

Gavin was dropped off at Michael’s by Griffon, and was greeted promptly upon knocking at the door. He entered, and slid out of his shoes at the front door. Michael’s huge dog, a Mastiff named Lenny, came to the door and tried several times to jump on Gavin’s shoulders. Michael told him that he tries to keep Lenny from jumping on people, but how can you stop a 150 pound animal from doing so? Gavin laughed it off, and following Michael up to his room. 

“My parents are working,” Michael said as he shut his door. He kicked his pile of dirty clothes to the wall, hoping to clear up a little floor space for his guest. “So it’s just us.”

“That’s fine.” Gavin responded. He watched Michael turn on his Xbox and TV and pick up two controllers. They were chrome controllers, and Gavin had always seen them in stores and admired them. He watched as Michael loaded up Assassin’s Creed to continue the Wolfpack missions. 

“How’s Lindsay?” Gavin asked with a smirk as he picked his character. He watched Michael shrug, but could see a grin starting to twist on his lips. 

“She’s cool,” Michael said nonchalantly. “Why are you asking?” 

Gavin chuckled. “You like her, don’t you?” 

“I just met her, Gav.” Michael dismissed, shaking his head slightly. “You’re jumping to conclusions too quickly.” 

“You’re getting defensive,” Gavin retorted as he watched Michael’s eyes not leave the screen. “I know you like her. Why can’t you tell me?” 

Michael bit his lip. He wanted to yell at Gavin for him to shut up and play the game, but he knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. “Because I don’t.” he shot back, glancing over his shoulder and catching Gavin’s widened eye. “Just drop it.” 

Gavin quieted himself in fear of being snapped at. He tried his best to shrug off the exchange and focus on having fun for the rest of the afternoon. It was difficult to forget the tone in Michael’s voice. He didn’t like how grumpy his friend could get, especially if it were directed at him specifically. He heard how abrasive Michael was at his dog sometimes, and hoped Gavin would never get to hear something like that to his face. 

Gavin left Michael’s house at about 6:00, and walked all the way back home for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay.


	5. Chapter 5

Gavin kept quiet around Michael for the next few days. He could tell Michael noticed the change in atmosphere. Gavin felt bad for getting all into Michael’s business, and Michael felt bad for snapping at his friend. Both were putting on a fake smile to one another, but moping around at their homes. 

Gavin also noticed Michael talking to Lindsay every morning before their shift started. He could see how happy he was around her, and talked about her often when he was with Gavin. They seemed like a good match, and Gavin told himself to be happy for Michael if they ended up dating. Gavin didn’t know why he felt so protective over Michael and the other lifeguard, due to the fact that he had just met the boy earlier in the summer, but he would rather have Michael all to himself. Gavin shrugged off his selfish thoughts, and concluded it was because Michael was a new friend and he wanted to spend all his time with him. 

Michael watched Gavin climb off of the lifeguard podium when the shift ended on the first Tuesday in July. He seemed eager to collect his stuff and leave, and didn’t even bother casting a glance over the pool at Michael like normal. Michael felt ignored, which fueled a small fire down in the pit of his stomach. 

“Fuck you, Gavin,” he mumbled as Gavin pushed open the gate to leave. He knew snapping at him the other night was wrong, but he didn’t know the Brit would take it so seriously. Huffing, Michael walked over to grab his own bag and hang his whistle in the office. He walked quickly after Gavin, hoping to catch him before he was too far down the road. 

“Gav!” Michael called, seeing that he was just about to cross the street. “Gav, wait.” 

Gavin turned his head, seeing Michael jog towards him with a crinkled shirt and sunburnt face. He smiled softly, and turned to face him. 

“Are you mad at me?” Michael asked. He regretted being so blunt after asking, but could see that Gavin wasn’t taken back at all. “I mean, I’m sorry for snapping at you the other night, I didn’t mean to make you upset.” 

“No,” Gavin answered. He realized he had been a little dick-ish to Michael the past few days, with ignoring him and talking small talk instead of the jokes and laughs he usually cast. “Let’s just pretend the other night didn’t happen, okay?” 

Michael furrowed his brows in confusion, gaping his lips open a tad bit before slightly nodding. “O-okay,” he agreed, watching Gavin intently. “I’m just… I’m sorry, okay? I can get snappy sometimes.” 

Gavin smiled, watching Michael’s brown eyes trail down to the sidewalk and back up to meet his own. His freckles had been darkened by the sun, and more had started to speckle his cheeks in the time since Gavin started working. “You don’t have to say sorry, Michael. _I’m_ sorry for being such a donut and not talking to you.”

Michael grinned at Gavin’s dumb insult to himself. “We cool?” he asked, tilting his head slightly as Gavin laughed. 

“We’re cool.” the Brit returned. 

“Need a ride home?” 

Gavin looked at the street, busy with traffic from people making the daily commute home from work. He would much rather arrive safely in a car than in pieces from getting hit. “Sure,” he agreed, starting to walk back to Michael’s car. “Thanks, Michael.” 

“Anything for you, Gavvy.” Michael replied jokingly.

* * *

Gavin was relieved that his communication with Michael had been restored. They were back to playing Xbox at night, texting during the day, and watching over the pool on their workdays. Michael was still as white as ever, and Gavin was embarrassed by his slight sunglasses tan on his face. 

Michael hosted a 4th of July party the following Friday after Michael and Gavin restored their relational issues. He invited Gavin, of course, and the Brit was thrilled to go. He had never been invited to any party in the states, and Geoff and Griffon were probably more excited than he was. 

Gavin knew the 4th of July was an American thing, and he very well was not American, but was still excited to hang out with friends. Michael told him that Ray and Lindsay were coming, as well as some of the other friends and lifeguards Gavin had heard about in Michael’s stories. It was a no-work day, and it was a warm 85 degrees when Geoff dropped Gavin off at Michael’s house at about 6:00 PM. 

Gavin was dressed in a blue and white striped shirt he had bought at the mall with Michael, and wore his red swim trunks, which was the only red pants he owned. He figured he looked “American-y” enough. 

Michael opened the door when he heard Geoff’s car roll out of the driveway. He saw Gavin, dressed in red, white and blue like he asked him to, and smiled. “Glad you could make it,” he greeted his friend. 

Gavin stepped into Michael’s house and was greeted by the familiar smell of vanilla and cinnamon. Michael’s house always smelled nice, and Gavin liked it. Michael led him to the living room where most of the party attendees were sitting. There weren’t a lot, like you would see at the teen house parties in movies, but still a reasonable amount to have fun with. He saw Ray sitting on the floor and waved to him. 

Lindsay was sitting next to a blonde-haired girl who was wearing a red and cream shirt with blue shorts. She looked young, and unfamiliar, but very pretty. She seemed to be good friends with Lindsay. 

Gavin pretty much recognized the other people from pictures, descriptions, or from work. He saw Ryan on the couch, and Miles who worked on Gavin’s off-days. He guessed the pretty dark-haired girl that was holding Miles’ hand was his girlfriend, Arryn, who he talked about a lot.

“Hey, Gav!” Ryan greeted when Gavin and Michael entered the room. Gavin waved in return. He liked having friends who seem  
ed happy to be around him. 

The TV was playing an old rerun of _Always Sunny_ , which Michael described as being one of his favorite shows. Gavin watched a few episodes with him to make him happy. 

Gavin sat down on the floor next to Michael and chimed in on the conversation. They were talking about school, and Gavin was interested to see what everybody else was doing after graduating, or before. He was just interested to hear his American friends talk in general. 

“I’m sad this will be the last year of volleyball for me,” Lindsay said, taking a drink of the Mountain Dew can in her hands. “I’m gonna miss it.” 

“You’re not gonna play in college?” Caleb, a boy who worked with Miles’ shift, asked. Gavin always thought Caleb looked like a camp counselor. 

Lindsay shrugged. “Probably not,” she answered. “It’s not that important to me. I might play with friends on my own time.” 

“Oh.” Caleb nodded. 

“You suck anyways,” Michael joked, ushering laughs from the group. 

“Fuck off, Michael.” Lindsay giggled, flicking Michael the middle finger and leaning back on the couch. 

Gavin laughed at their banter. He knew it was dumb for him to be jealous of Michael spending so much time with Lindsay. They seemed to compliment each other so well. It’d be dumb for him to come between that.

“How’s British school?” Ryan asked from across the room. 

Gavin met his glance, raising his eyebrows. “It’s, uh, nice.” he answered, digging his nails into the carpet as he thought of how to answer. “I play football in the springtime. We don’t wear uniforms or have tea time in the middle of the day, or sing God Save the Queen every morning. It’s just… regular school.” 

“You play football?” Ray gaped. “You’re like a twig.” 

“Not the American kind, you dope.” Gavin snickered. “The kicky-kicky kind.” 

The others laughed, and Gavin felt good. He liked making people laugh. He liked having friends. So far, the summer had been one of the best he had ever experienced. 

Later in the night, Michael led everyone outside to let off fireworks. Everyone got a handful of sparklers, which Gavin learned actually sparkled when you lit them and was nervous he’d get a face full of it. 

After the weak stuff, Michael and some of the others dragged the basket of fireworks from his garage into the yard. The next hour or so was spent lighting them, running back to the safety of the group, and watching them explode into the night sky. Gavin thought the 4th of July was quite beautiful. 

After the last firework was being shot into the air, Gavin turned and watched Michael’s face. His glasses reflected the beautiful colors in the sky, and his eyes were completely entranced by the light. 

“Thank you, Michael.” Gavin said softly and Michael drew his glance over to the Brit’s. He could see the sincerity on his face, which caused him to smile widely.

“No problem, Gav.” Michael replied, looking directly at Gavin with the fireworks exploding over head. The two didn’t say a word, but their eyes were locked into each other’s. None of them seemed to move until the firework ended, and the group cheered. Michael was brought back into reality, and looked away from Gavin. 

Gavin felt his cheeks grow hotter and hotter the more he thought about what just happened. Nothing like that had ever happened before. The two were absolutely motionless, and Gavin couldn’t bring himself to explain what he had felt. It was weird, and Gavin didn’t want it clogging up his thoughts. His mind was swarming with questions, but he didn’t know how to phrase any of them. His stomach felt queasy, and decided to tell Michael that he was sick and wanted to go home. 

“I’m sorry,” Michael said. “I’ll drive you. The party’s about over anyways.” 

Michael announced to everyone that he had to take Gavin home, and most of the party attendees decided to go home as well. He led Gavin to his car and started it up, pulling out of the driveway on the familiar route to Gavin’s house. “I”m glad you could come.” Michael grinned, looking over at Gavin who looked pale and bleak. He could see he was shaken, but decided not to press him. “I hope you’re feeling better to come to work tomorrow. I don’t know if I could go without my _boi._ ”

Gavin smirked, looking over at Michael who was now fixed on the road ahead of him. “I’ll try to be there.” he breathed. Talking to Michael made him get his mind off of the incident with the firework. He hoped it wouldn’t be brought up again. 

Once at Gavin’s house, Michael stopped and watched him exit his vehicle. “See you tomorrow, Michael.” Gavin said quietly with a soft smile before closing the door and walking to his house. Michael made sure he was safe inside before starting his car again and backing out to the road to head back to his own house, smiling the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait. i was waiting until i got a new computer to write the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Gavin couldn’t sleep that night. 

Many hours slipped away with tired eyes glued to the patterns on the ceiling, counting the dots barely visible in the lack of lighting. Gavin’s stomach sickness went away after time to himself, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Michael. He knew he was stupid for having such a pathetic moment control him like this, but he couldn’t help it. The way Michael looked that night, young and bright, made Gavin smile. He wanted to see him again. 

Gavin unlocked his phone. _12:42 AM._ He knew Michael wouldn’t be up, but decided to text him anyways. 

_12:42 AM / Gav: Michael?_

The vibrations rattling the end table spooked Michael. “Fuck me,” he breathed, after realizing it was just his phone. He kept forgetting to turn his phone on silent during the night, so no notification would scare him half to death at an early hour. He reached over, grabbing his phone and adjusting his eyes to focus on the light. 

_Gavin?_ Michael was concerned as to why Gavin would be texting him this late at night. He texted Gavin after he dropped him off at about 10:00 to make sure he was okay, and Gavin just said he was going to go to bed. Michael thought for sure he wouldn’t be at work the next day, let alone text him two hours later. 

_12:44 AM / Michael: What’s up Gav? You okay?_

Gavin smiled, the phone light illuminating his face in the darkness. 

_12:44 AM / Gav: Yeah, can’t sleep. Can you come over?_

Michael was confused. He didn’t know how to answer. Sure, he wanted to hang out with Gavin whenever he could, but he didn’t know if going to his house at midnight was the smartest idea. Geoff intimidated him, and Griffon even more so. 

_12:46 AM / Michael: what? this late?_

_12:47 AM / Gav: yeah, i’ll answer the door so we won’t wake geoff and griffon._

_12:48 AM / Michael: Ok, I’ll come. i’ll be there in ten_

Gavin locked his phone, tossing it to the side of him. He felt the breath rise in his chest as he smiled, running his fingers through his greasy mess of hair. He didn’t think Michael would even answer, let alone agree to come to his house at an odd hour. He liked having Michael as a friend, and knew it would be a hard goodbye at the end of the summer. 

Michael arrived in about ten minutes, like he promised, and Gavin quietly let him in through the front door. Michael looked tired, and Gavin could see the dark circles under his eyes. His hair was frizzy, and his clothes were wrinkled, but things like that made him more like Michael. Gavin didn’t mind. 

“Why’d you call me here?” Michael asked quietly, taking a seat on Gavin’s bed. “I was almost asleep. Be glad I’m such a good friend.” 

“You are a good friend, Michael.” Gavin cooed, sitting down next to Michael. “You’re the best friend I’ve never had before.” 

Michael felt his stomach swell. He’d never really experienced how it felt to have someone you could depend on and drop everything for either. Sure, he had Ray, but Ray was the type to bounce from person to person when it came to friendship. He was a loyal guy, Michael understood, but he couldn’t tell things to him like he already has to Gavin. Gavin gave him such a warm feeling from the start, Michael just accepted the mutual agreement of friendship. 

“Thanks, Gav.” Michael whispered with a slight smile. He met Gavin’s gaze, solidified by the darkness. 

Gavin smirked, breaking the glance between him and Michael to look down at his hands. “I’m glad you came. I don’t know why I even asked you. I felt lonely for some reason, and I knew I couldn’t call Geoff or Griffon to help me with it. I needed a friend, so I called you.” 

Michael softened his glance. “Well,” he breathed, looking off and around Gavin’s room at all the knick-knacks on the walls and dressers. He saw what he thought was a 1st place trophy to something, but decided not to ask what. “I’m here.” 

“Yeah,” Gavin smiled.

* * *

Michael ended up falling asleep at Gavin’s house. Geoff peeked in to see why Gavin was not up at his usual early hour, and noticed him sleeping peacefully with Michael at the foot of his bed. Geoff smiled, not making a sound, and closed the door. 

Gavin luckily woke up at 10:15, 45 minutes before work started, and was startled with seeing a human figure in his bed. Upon realizing it was Michael, he loosened up a bit, but was still nervous that he would get in trouble with Geoff and Griffon. He decided to wake Michael and quickly get ready for work, without saying a word to his second parents. 

“Michael, wake up.” Gavin said gently, shaking Michael’s arm. Michael looked very tranquil, with his cheek pressed up against his hand, and his curly hair sticking out at all angles. Gavin giggled at it, remembering the previous time he had spent the night with Michael. 

Michael mumbled inaudibly, squinting open his eyes and readjusting his glasses that were crookedly sprawled across his face. He yawned, looking around Gavin’s room and not seeming the least bit surprised he had fallen asleep. “Good morning,” he breathed, smiling and glancing over at Gavin. 

“Morning.” Gavin chuckled, climbing out of bed and walking over to the dressers. “Work starts in 45 minutes. Need some clothes?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Michael answered. His morning voice was raspy and deep, and he tried his best to hide it, but knew how obvious it sounded. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and noticed the 1st place trophy on top of the dresser Gavin was riffling through. “What’s that trophy for? If you don’t mind me asking.” 

Gavin glanced upwards at it. “Geoff’s high school baseball trophy. It’s the only one he has left.” 

Michael could sense a tragic backstory to that whole ordeal, and decided to steer clear of it. “Oh,” he replied, watching Gavin toss him some white swim trunks and a navy blue t-shirt. 

The boys changed for work, and grabbed some sunglasses on their way out. Gavin kept his steps quiet to avoid causing attention from Geoff and Griffon, but noticed Geoff’s grinning face as he approached the front door. 

“I’m sorry, he fell asleep-“ Gavin defended, but was cut off. 

“It’s fine, Gavin. I’m just glad you have a friend.” Geoff chuckled. Gavin nodded in thanks, and hurried out the door towards Michael’s car. 

“Dodged a bullet there,” Gavin sighed in relief as Michael started the car. 

“My parents on the other hand,” Michael laughed, backing out of the driveway. “We’ll just have to see about that.” 

Michael drove up to the pool at almost exactly 11:00, grabbing the bag of a towel and sunscreen that Gavin collected for him. He gave Lindsay a quick hug as she was leaving, and followed Gavin through the gates. 

“That’s it?” Gavin chuffed, dropping his bag off at the usual spot. “A hug and that’s it?” 

Michael nodded, quickly taking off his shirt and grabbing the sunscreen from the bag. “Yeah,” he answered quickly. “I thought you’d be happy about that.” 

Gavin felt his face drain it’s color. His eyes were locked with Michael’s, even though his were behind sunglasses. Gavin gaped his mouth open slightly. “What?” he managed to say through a look of disbelief. “Why would I want that?” 

Michael shrugged, spraying sunscreen on his fingers and rubbing it across his freckled cheeks. “Dunno,” he mumbled. “I could tell you were distant from me when I was getting close to her.” 

Gavin shook his head frantically. “No, Michael, no,” he defended, taking off his own shirt and grabbing the sunscreen from his bag. “I’m happy for you and Lindsay! Don’t think I have anything to do with you and your romantic life, okay? I’m your friend, and I’m here.” 

Michael smirked slightly, throwing down the sunscreen and stuffing his hands in the pockets of his swimming trunks. “Thanks, Gav,” he mumbled. “I don’t know… it’s just weird. I’ve never had a real girlfriend before.” 

Gavin laughed. “It’s okay,” he breathed, relieved that Michael wasn’t upset with him. “Neither have I.” 

“Aw, shit,” Michael laughed, beginning to head to his lifeguard podium. “I thought you could give me advice!” 

Gavin chuckled, walking over to his own podium to begin the work shift.

* * *

After work, Michael drove Gavin home before returning to his own house, which was causing him anticipation all day. He had no idea if his mom and dad left early for work, or didn’t go at all, and it frankly worried him. He hadn’t received any texts or calls from his parents, so he hoped they weren’t mad that he hadn’t talked to them before work. Going to Gavin’s the previous night was risky, but worth it. 

Michael softly twisted open the door knob, stepping into his familiar house that Gavin always complimented on about the smell. Nobody was yelling, and Lenny came up to the door to great him like usual. 

“Hi, Len,” Michael said with a smile, petting his oversized dog’s head. He maneuvered around him, tracking into the living room where he found his dad browsing on his laptop. 

“Hey, Michael!” his dad said brightly. “Didn’t get to see you this morning! How was work?” 

_Phew._ Michael breathed a sigh a relief and continued with his dad’s small talk before exchanging a quick goodbye and heading upstairs to his room. 

Michael dropped Gavin’s bag at the side of his bed and collapsed on to it. He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. He talked with Gavin for at least an hour, and didn’t even remember when he fell asleep. He remembered listening to Gavin’s raspy voice, that got deeper as the night pressed on, and laying his head at the end of the bed. Michael felt comforted by Gavin’s presence, and he guessed, just lost control of the situation and fell asleep. 

Michael felt as if he could fall asleep right there, at 5:30 PM. He knew it would be a bad idea, and would probably end up waking up at some early hour. He decided to set up a Xbox game with Ray, and was entertained for a few hours. 

Michael and Ray always set up a Skype call when they played, so they were able to talk to each other. Ray and Michael also didn’t hang out much outside of school, so it was a good way to maintain the relationship. 

“So,” Ray said after killing Michael once again in Halo. “You’ve been talking to Gavin a lot lately.” 

“I guess so,” Michael shrugged. “He’s cool.” 

“I made a bet with Barbara that you guys will end up getting married.” 

Michael laughed. “Fuck you, Ray.” he replied. He knew Barbara sort-of well, and knew she was friends with Lindsay and Ray, as well as a few other kids that went to his school. She had been in his classes before, and came to his 4th of July party. 

“You think I’m kidding?” Ray talked back. “You fucked him yet?” 

Michael groaned. “Shut up, you jerk-off. No I haven’t fucked him, and I’m not going to.” 

“You know he’s leaving at the end of summer, right?” 

“I said fucking shut up.” Michael snapped, issuing silence from Ray and the call for a few moments. “Sorry man.” he apologized in return.

“N-no, it’s cool.” Ray stammered as he tried to recollect what Michael’s tone of voice meant. “Sorry for bothering you.” 

Michael stayed silent. Ray had just reminded him that Gavin would leave at the end of summer. He suddenly felt the anger boiling in his veins, and couldn’t stop as it travelled up to his head. “I gotta go,” Michael mumbled. “I got a headache.” 

“Okay, talk to you later.” Ray said as he hung up. Michael quickly turned off his Xbox and laid down, staring at the ceiling as his head pounded. His eyes stung, and he felt the pressure on his chest grow stronger. 

“What the fuck,” Michael cursed, reaching his hands up to run his fingers through his hair. “I get close to someone and they’re gonna fucking move. This isn’t fucking fair!” 

Michael thought of texting Gavin, but that would just further remind him that there would be a day where they couldn’t hang out anymore. God knows if Michael would ever _see_ Gavin again. It just wasn’t fair. Why did he even befriend Gavin when he knew this was going to happen? 

Michael turned over on his side, and fell asleep to rid himself of the immense headache that controlled his thoughts and focused them on one subject: _Gavin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song still young - neon trees reminds me so much of these guys. i've been listening to it a lot lately lol


	7. Chapter 7

“Michael, what’s wrong?” 

Gavin was concerned. Michael had been quiet all morning, and didn’t respond to any of his texts or calls for the last two days. His eyes looked dull, and he looked sick all the time. Gavin tried pressing him every chance he could, but Michael shook him away and told him he was fine. Gavin could tell he was not.

Michael stared, eyes fixed on the sandwich in front of him. It was Tuesday, and cloudy outside, and Michael had went to lunch with Gavin. He felt bad for giving him the cold shoulder every time he opened his mouth, but just felt so aggravated since the conversation with Ray. He didn’t want to get close to Gavin, but he did anyway, and he hated himself for it. 

“Nothing.” Michael mumbled. He had only taken one bite of his sandwich in the last ten minutes, and Gavin was almost done with his. Normally it happened the other way around. 

Gavin bit his lip. He tried to gather Michael’s gaze, but it was fixed downwards. He hadn’t seen the light in his eyes in so long. He missed it. He missed seeing Michael’s smile, and his dimples when he laughed. Michael seemed so down all of a sudden, and Gavin was trying his hardest to pull him out of it. 

“I know it’s not nothing.” Gavin said lowly. He was practically walking on eggshells when bringing up what had been bothering his friend. “You’re not yourself. Are you okay?” 

Michael inhaled deeply before sighing it out, wrapping up his food and pushing it to the side. “No, Gav.” he replied, his voice feeble and thin. “I’m not okay.” 

Gavin tilted his head slightly. He didn’t expect Michael to actually react. “Tell me what’s bothering you.” he breathed, careful not to press Michael too far. 

Michael’s eyes darted from side to side. He felt his stomach twist inside him, and looked up to meet Gavin’s glance. He had always felt comfort in Gavin’s eyes, and he couldn’t explain why. Something about his kind gaze always settled him down. “Because you’re leaving at the end of the summer and I don’t know what I’m going to do.” 

Gavin let out a deep breath. His eyes fell, and his heart rose to his throat when he noticed the sorrow in Michael’s eyes. “Michael,” he breathed, fiddling with his fingers underneath the table. He didn’t know what to say. “I’ll come back to you, I promise.” 

“You won’t be back soon enough.” Michael gritted through locked teeth. “I’ll have to go a school year at least without my best friend.” 

“I’ll come back as soon as I graduate.” Gavin offered, smiling slightly but not getting the same reaction from Michael. 

“You can’t make the situation better than it is, Gav.” Michael murmured. “Face it. You’re gonna leave me here in Texas while you go off to your life in England. We’re part of two different worlds.” 

“I’m not going to leave you, Michael.” Gavin reassured. “We can Skype whenever you want. I’ll stay up late if I have to. We can make it work-“ 

Michael shook his head. “I can’t think straight without thinking of you leaving.” 

“I’m not leaving until August, Michael.” Gavin said, hoping to distract Michael with the time in between his departure date. 

“That’s _next month_.” Michael shot back. “I don’t want you to leave.” 

Gavin looked down. “I don’t want to leave either.” he admitted with a frown. “It’s too rainy in England.”

Michael snickered. He grinned slightly, looking up to meet Gavin's glance from across the table. "Stop trying to make me laugh, dammit." he chuffed. He knew moping about the idea of Gavin leaving would solve absolutely nothing for him. It'd only make his summer miserable. He still wasn't happy about it, but he also didn't want to bring Gavin down with him. "What are you gonna do without this heat, man?" 

“No idea.” Gavin laughed, glad he was able to bring Michael out of his sorrow.

* * *

“You set me up on a _date_?” Michael gaped in disbelief. It was Thursday, and his shift had just ended when Gavin broke the surprising news. “With _Lindsay?_ ” 

Gavin nodded, proud of himself for doing so. “She was quite excited.” he added as he climbed into Michael’s car. “Pick her up tomorrow at 6. Have fun.” 

“Wait, wait wait,” Michael stammered. He felt his face redden, and he stared ahead of him with a wide grin planted on his face. “Lindsay Tuggey, right? The lifeguard?” 

Gavin laughed. “Yes, Michael!” he answered. He found it funny how surprised Michael was acting. He knew the connection he had with Lindsay was rock solid, and a date was bound to happen any day. 

“I don’t know what to wear, or what to do, Gav! I’ve never… _gone on a date._ ” 

“I’ll help you,” Gavin reassured as Michael started to back out onto the road. “Just relax.” 

Michael felt his heartbeat through his chest. He had always thought Lindsay was very pretty, but never would’ve thought she would agree to go with him on a date. He was beyond excited, but at the same time, very nervous. He didn’t know what to expect, or even where he was going. Michael took a few deep breaths and just hoped Gavin knew what to do. 

Michael stopped the car at Gavin’s house, and watched him open the car door with a large smile on his face. “Thanks, Gavin.” Michael breathed as his friend looked at him with brightened eyes. 

“No problem, boi.” Gavin replied with the dumb pet name he and Michael called each other. “Come over tomorrow before your date and I’ll help you get ready.” 

“Got it.” 

Gavin smiled and waved goodbye as he shut the car door. As usual, Michael stayed in the driveway until he saw Gavin safely enter through the front door and disappear into the lights of the house. 

Gavin immediately went upstairs to his room, collapsing on his bed and staring at the ceiling the same way he did the previous Friday night. He exhaled deeply as thoughts swarmed his head until he couldn't see straight any longer. He knew he would regret setting Michael up with Lindsay, but he just wanted his best friend to be happy. Maybe the relationship would last through the fall and winter, so Michael wouldn’t be so upset once Gavin left. 

Gavin could see the future, almost. He could almost hear Michael’s excited voice talking about how beautiful and amazing Lindsay is. He could see his eyes brighten when talking about her, and see the dimples on his cheeks appear whenever he smiled. Gavin tightly closed his eyes and imagined what it’d be like to watch Michael hug, and even kiss, Lindsay before work. He didn’t want to see it, but knew how likely it would be. 

Gavin couldn’t help but feel his heart swell every time he heard Michael laugh, or met his glance with his own. He tried to hide the blush in his cheeks when he was around Michael, and tried not to let his feelings take over his tongue. He hadn’t told Michael his sexuality, but he hadn’t really come to terms with it himself yet. Gavin never knew what he wanted. He liked to talk and think about girls, but never saw himself dating one. He hadn’t thought that way with any guys either. Gavin thought of himself as a mess.

Rolling over, Gavin brought his hands to his face. “Why am I loafing around?” he whispered to himself, feeling the chill of the air conditioner finally reach him. “I’m pathetic sometimes.” 

Gavin picked himself up, reaching for his phone that had fallen out of his pocket when he fell on his bed. He quickly unlocked it, feeling his heart perk up when reading the new message from Michael. The feeling that Michael was talking to him calmed him down a bit, and Gavin relaxed on his bed to forget about the feelings that had blown him down like a tidal wave. 

_5:26 PM / Michael: Thanks Gav, I really owe you one._

Gavin smiled, throwing the bed covers over him instead of turning off the fan overhead. He liked being cold, and being secure in sheets. Once comfortable, he went to reply. 

_5:31 PM / Gav: No problem boi. Just like seeing you happy_

Michael grinned widely, now pulling into the driveway of his home and turning off his car. He didn’t want to exit it just yet. He didn’t want to return to the boring home life of questions and living alone too soon. 

_5:32 PM / Michael: Lol okay, now I gotta hook you up with someone. How about Ryan?_

Gavin laughed out loud. 

_5:32 PM / Gav: oh god, how could I resist such a man?_

With a snicker, Michael decided to exit his car. He grabbed his pool bag and walked to the front door, unlocking it with his key and sliding his shoes off once inside. It smelled of pizza, and Michael quickly thanked the heavens as he speed walked towards the kitchen. His parents were both in there, casually talking over their beverages. 

“Michael!” his mom exclaimed. She was wearing her garden clothes, and Michael could see that she had worked outside for most of the day. “How was work?” 

“Fine,” Michael replied. That was usually his generic answer. He grabbed a plate and some pizza before sitting down in front of his parents. “But guess what?” 

His parents exchanged glances. “What?” Michael’s father asked, looking genuinely interested as to what had gotten their boy so hyped. 

“Gavin set me up with a date.” 

Mrs. Jones’ eyes immediately brightened. “Oh my God!” she squealed happily. “Michael Jones has a date? Is this real?” 

“Oh hush,” Michael’s father said jokingly to his wife. “Be happy for him.” 

“I am!” Mrs. Jones replied. “Congrats, Michael! Who is it?” 

Michael felt his face grow hot. He hated how enthusiastic his parents were about almost everything. It embarrassed him, but somehow, not this time. “Lindsay Tuggey. She’s a lifeguard too. She came to my July 4th party.” 

“Nice, nice.” his dad complimented. Michael beamed. 

“Gavin’s gonna help me get ready for it, is that okay?” the teenager asked politely as his parents exchanged widened glances. 

“Sure,” his mom grinned. “I’m so excited!” 

“Yeah, okay,” Michael mumbled, finishing a slice of pizza and standing to take the other up to his room. “Later.” 

His parents mumbled a goodbye that Michael didn’t catch. He was too focused on going up to text Ray and potentially Gavin again. Shutting the door, Michael sat on his bed and pulled out his phone. 

Michael texted Ray for awhile until he had to go, and Michael was left laying underneath his bed covers with a smile on his lips. He couldn’t wait until the next day. He decided to text Gavin before turning off the lights and flicking the TV on. 

_6:48 PM / Michael: game of thrones is on._

Gavin was busy typing away an email to his parents when the iMessage icon appeared on the left hand corner of his laptop screen. He grinned a bit at Michael’s subtle message. Michael introduced him to Game of Thrones within the last week. Gavin realized right away Michael was a total television nerd. 

_6:50 PM / Gav: and?_

_6:51 PM / Michael: and turn on the TV and watch it with me you fucking donut_

Gavin chuckled and closed his laptop. He could finish the email later, his parents wouldn’t be awake for awhile anyways. Gavin reached for the remote on his end table and flicked on the TV to watch the rerun. Cuddled up in the bed sheets, he replied to Michael. 

_6:53 PM / Gav: don’t use my own insults against me, you walnut_

_6:54 PM / Michael: don’t tell me what to do you slice of wet bread_

Michael liked the conversations between him and Gavin. He never was a real big texter before, and often forgot to reply to people or just never wanted to. By doing this, he missed on a lot of outings with friends or potential romantic interests. With Gavin, it was different. Gavin made him want to reply, and their conversations were actually fun. 

The two watched TV until Michael passed out while responding to a text, and Gavin decided to finish the email in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter probably sucks because i wrote it in the course of a month 
> 
> sorry haha


	8. Chapter 8

“What the hell?” Michael breathed, looking in the mirror at an outfit Gavin had made him try on. It was a light blue button down shirt, completed with a matching tie, and slacks. Michael had never dressed up for any occasion other than school picture day or the rare occasions his parents dragged him to church. It felt unnatural, but he had to admit he looked very dapper. “I look so fucking stupid.” 

“You look nice, Michael!” Gavin squealed from sitting on the bed. Gavin wanted to see Michael in clothes like this more often. “I think you should wear that tonight.” 

“Really?” Michael turned, sticking his hands in the pockets of the ironed slacks. 

Gavin nodded, standing up to straighten Michael’s tie and adjust the shirt. He glanced upwards, through Michael’s glasses, catching his light brown irises. Michael’s gaze softened, and the eye contact locked on for a few heartbeats, enough for Gavin to feel his heart rise in his throat. “Y-yeah, um,” he stammered, backing away a bit and nonchalantly scratching his nose. “You look great.” 

Michael felt his mouth go dry. Gavin had seemed to jittery ever since he showed up there that afternoon. He decided not to delve into the Brit’s mind, and let him deal with his own issues. “Thanks.” Michael said, dipping his head a bit. He pulled out his phone to check the time. “Fuck, I got thirty minutes. What do I do with my hair?” 

“Leave it.” Gavin answered, stepping back forward to run his fingers through Michael’s brown locks. Gavin was surprised at how soft they were. “I can’t see you with anything else but curls.” 

“I straightened my hair once during Freshman year.” Michael confessed with a snicker. “I got called so many names.” 

Gavin laughed, trying to imagine Michael with straight hair. It seemed too ridiculous to even comprehend. Curly-haired Michael just seemed too perfect to mess with. “You should do it again to show me.” Gavin grinned, watching Michael’s face turn to a smile. 

“No way in Hell.” Michael stated. He looked around the room for a moment before turning his head back and facing Gavin. “I should probably get going. Lindsay lives quite a ways away. I’ll come over after the date, okay?” 

Gavin swallowed hard. “Yeah, okay.” he said with a half smile. “I’ll see you then. Have fun, Michael.” 

“I will.” Michael said with a warm smile. “Bye, Gav.” 

Gavin watched him leave, shutting the door behind him, and collapsing on his bed after hearing the front door creak shut.

* * *

_10:56 PM. He’s not gonna show._

Gavin had been waiting like an abandoned puppy by the door ever since Michael left. There had been no texts or calls since. Gavin felt stupid for thinking Michael would even want to come back to him after a date. They probably were somewhere sucking face. Gavin shuddered at the thought, and trailed over to his window. 

Gavin’s phone was attached to his palm. He checked it every thirty seconds in hope that Michael had shot him a text. His cheeks stung, and Gavin felt like crying or screaming. He was just so frustrated at himself. 

“Fuck this,” Gavin muttered to himself, throwing his phone on the bed and crashing into the sheets right next to it. The lights had been off all evening, and the only noises made in the room for the past four hours were Gavin’s groans and sighs. Loathing himself, Gavin fell asleep shortly after. 

Michael dropped Lindsay off at about 11:15. They had went put-put golfing after their date, and then decided to catch a late night movie. Michael had the night of his life, and he could see on Lindsay’s face that she enjoyed it too. 

“I had fun tonight,” Lindsay said softly, glancing over at Michael. The moonlight painted her eyes silver. “We should do it again sometime.” 

“Yeah,” Michael agreed, admiring the beauty of the girl in his passenger seat. Her hair was frayed, but flawless at the same time. “We should.” 

In an instant, Lindsay leaned over the seats and gently planted her lips on Michael’s cheek. It was quick, and Michael had little time to react. His face grew hot as she drew away, casting one more bright smile at Michael before opening the car door and climbing out. “Goodnight,” she cooed, smiling. 

Michael waved as she shut the door. He watched her walk to her front door to make sure she got home safely, much like he did with Gavin. 

_Fuck. Gavin._ Michael had forgotten that he promised to go to Gavin’s after dinner. He didn’t mean to stand up his best friend, but he completely forgot. It was already 11 PM anyways. Gavin was probably sound asleep, and Michael hoped that he thought nothing of him not showing. With a heavy sigh, Michael started the car and began to make the car drive to his home. 

“Did you have a good time tonight?” Michael’s mother pressed as soon as he walked into the front door. Michael wasn’t in the mood for any questions. 

“Yeah.” he stated, climbing the stairs up to his room in hopes to get away from the flood of questions his parents probably wanted him to answer. He knew he’d have to answer them some time or another, but just not tonight. 

Michael didn’t bother to turn his light on. He quickly dressed into more comfortable clothes, deciding not to send a text to Gavin. A little part of him hoped that Gavin didn’t mind Michael not showing. He knew Gavin probably would, nevertheless. 

Within ten minutes, Michael was asleep, leaving the past in the humid air of the summer night.

* * *

“I’m so sorry, Gavin.” Michael apologized the first thing Saturday afternoon, upon arriving for his work shift. “I lost track of time.” 

Gavin looked at him with a grin. “Calm down, Michael.” he said, chuckling. “It’s okay. I figured you would want to spend time with Lindsay instead of me.” 

“It’s not like that!” Michael defended. 

Gavin remembered waiting by the door for four hours, hoping that he’d see Michael’s headlights down the driveway at any moment. He recalled constantly checking his phone for messages, and feeling the minutes tick by like decades. 

“It’s cool.” Gavin said gently. “I didn’t mind.” _But I did. A whole lot._

“Fuck, _thank you_.” Michael breathed a sigh of relief. “I was so fucking scared you’d hate me.” 

“Why would I hate you?” Gavin said with a cheeky grin, tilting his head a bit and squinting through his sunglasses. “I could never hate my boi.” The Brit playfully ruffled Michael’s hair with his fingers. 

“Thanks, again.” Michael said, his cheeks growing hotter as Gavin ran his fingers through his hair. He concluded that it was probably due to the heat. 

The shift went by slow, as usual, with Michael cursing the heat almost every second. Every time he pulled out his phone to check the time, only a couple minutes had passed since the last time. He would look across the pool at Gavin every so often, and flash him a silly face or a dull expression, whatever he was feeling at the time. He’d watch Gavin laugh, which would pick up Michael’s mood from the bottom of the ocean for a little while. 

Once the clock hit 5, Michael was quick to climb down from the podium and and hang his whistle in the office. Gavin followed him, doing the same. 

“You sure are in a hurry.” Gavin noted, smiling slightly as he watched Michael raise one eyebrow. 

“Fuck off, I want to go home.” Michael laughed. “Wanna come with?” 

Gavin nodded. “I’ll text Geoff. I’m pretty sure he’ll be okay with it.” 

“Great.” Michael smiled, beginning to walk to his car with Gavin following behind him. He climbed in, started the vehicle, and drove the all-too-familiar route back to his house.

* * *

“…Lindsay told me she was into horror movies, and I was like, really? I was so surprised. She totally doesn’t look like the horror-movie-girl type…” 

It was midnight, and Gavin had been listening to Michael retell his date for the past hour. He enjoyed seeing Michael enthusiastic about the girl, but also couldn’t stand how attached he’d grown to her in just one night. Gavin wanted to pull out his hair in frustration. 

“So, the date was good?” Gavin asked tiredly, feeling his eyelids begin to grow heavier as the night pressed on. 

Michael laughed, reclining a bit in his bed and closing his eyes. “Yeah, it was awesome.” he breathed with a yawn. “Can’t wait for the next one.” 

_I bet you can’t_. Gavin smiled wearily, laying down at his spot next to Michael. The lights were already off, and the only light that illuminated the two were their phones. “Glad you had fun.” Gavin whispered, laying on his side and facing Michael. 

Michael could barely see the whites of Gavin’s eyes, but could make out the outline of his hair and stubble. He looked exhausted, but still wore a loopy smile as he stared at Michael. “Thank you.” Michael thanked clearly, feeling another yawn coming on. 

Gavin adored Michael’s freckles, darkened by the night, speckled across his cheeks. He sat back, watching Michael’s eyes and reading his expression like a book. “Goodnight, Michael boi.” he cooed quietly, watching Michael slowly close his eyes, and fade his smile, until it was clear he had fallen asleep. 

Gavin drank up one more moonlit glance of Michael, before closing his eyes and escaping into slumber.


	9. Chapter 9

Sunday morning light filtered in through the windowpanes of Michael’s room, causing Gavin to open his eyes and blink past the drowsiness still hanging in them. He fought back a yawn, and was careful not to make any sudden movements in fear of waking Michael who was still facing him, asleep. Gavin breathed out slowly, watching the steady rise and fall of the sheets over Michael’s body as he did so. 

Gavin laid there for about twenty minutes, until he noticed Michael stirring. He quickly shut his eyes to make it look like he too was just waking up. 

“Gavin?” Michael murmured, Gavin slowly flicked open his eyes, and met Michael’s. “Good morning.” 

Gavin smiled widely. He loved hearing Michael’s ‘morning voice’. His voice was so deep and gravelly in the first moments of waking up that Gavin would sometimes lose what he was going to say in response. 

“G’morning,” Gavin replied, stretching his arms over his head and then returning to a fetal position under the blankets. “Sleep well?” 

“Very well.” Michael answered, “But I'm hungry now. You up for breakfast?” 

Gavin giggled upon seeing Michael’s face brighten at the word ‘breakfast’. “I don’t want to get up. Make me breakfast in bed, please.”

“In your fucking dreams.” Michael said playfully, rolling out of bed and travelling downstairs into the empty house. Michael’s parents always attended church on Sunday mornings, but Michael refrained from going. He didn’t like it, and the people there were weird. 

Gavin shuffled downstairs shortly after, finding Michael sticking two pieces of toast into the toaster. He looked like a totally different person in his sweatpants and old t-shirt, aside from his typical swim trunks and bright, mainstream shirt you can only find in expensive outlet stores. His hair was ruffled, but he didn’t seem to mind, and Gavin immediately thought of how perfect it’d feel to wake up to this every morning. 

_But I won’t._ Gavin quickly dismissed the thought, and continued his route downstairs, stopping at the bar and sitting on top of the stool. Michael turned to face him. “Just making toast, if that’s okay.” he said through a sly smile. “Unless it’s too low-society for your British ass.” 

Gavin snickered, looking down at his hands folded on the marble countertop. “Shut up,” he chuffed, using his fingers to push back his restless hair. 

Michael laughed, turning back over to the toaster and eyeing the bread inside of it. Figuring it was crispy enough, Michael pressed the button that made the toast pop out. He quickly tore off a nearby paper towel, and threw the toast on top of it, trying his best not to hold it long enough to burn his fingers. 

Gavin watched Michael go from cupboard to cupboard, pulling out condiments such as peanut butter, jelly, and chocolate spread. He was just leaning back and forth, but Gavin couldn’t help but stare at the way his hips swung, and how his oversized t-shirt folded at the movements. Upon feeling his cheeks swell, Gavin looked away. 

Michael grabbed orange juice from the refrigerator, and sat down at the bar next to Gavin. He pushed the toast in-between the both of them, and set out two knives to decorate their breakfast. “You okay?” Michael said with a half grin, noticing Gavin’s quietness. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Gavin reassured, sitting upright in his chair and grabbing the jelly. He popped open the lid, and spread the jelly over his toast. “Looks good.” 

Michael laughed a bit. “It’s crispy bread.” he said, casting a sideways glance as he covered his toast in chocolate spread. “Can’t go wrong with it.” 

“You’re such a git.” Gavin retaliated. 

“Speak American, twat.” Michael bit back, a smile plastered in-between his dimples. 

Gavin rolled his eyes, feeling his stomach flutter up to his throat. The two ate their breakfast in silence, simply indulging on the fact that something was going into their stomachs. After eating fairly quickly, Michael swooped up the paper towel and tossed it in the trashcan. Gavin helped him put away knives and condiments to their correct locations. 

“What are we doing today, Gavvy?” Michael asked with an exhale of breath. The two had now made their way to the living room, and were lounged on the sofa, in front of the TV that was turned off. Michael had his legs folded underneath him, and relaxed his elbow on the arm of the chair. 

Gavin shrugged. He sat beside Michael, careful not to get too intimately close to him, despite how much he wanted to curl up in the nook under his arm. The pressure on his chest was too much for him to think. “I don’t know,” he managed to say, feeling his tongue go dry. “I don’t feel like getting dressed.” 

Michael smiled, looking sideways at his friend, whom was resting his head on the back of the couch. “You could go out in public in that and nobody would even notice.”   
Gavin looked down at his gray sweatpants and frowned. “Look at my hair, Michael.” he said, more precisely. 

“What about your hair, Gavin?” Michael replied, mimicking Gavin’s articulative speaking style. 

Gavin shot a glance at Michael, smiling faintly. “It’s droopy.” he murmured. “And oily. It’s just ugly, Michael.” 

“Shut up, Gavin.” Michael snickered, reclining back in the sofa a little bit more. “I’m fine with just staying here, though.” 

Gavin reached out at the coffee table in front of the couch, picking up the TV remote and flicking the television on. The TV was already on the Food Network channel, so Gavin decided to let it play. “What are we gonna do, then?” Gavin said, watching a nameless chef chop up a stick of celery. 

“Do laundry.” Michael said, dully. “Fuck, I forgot I was supposed to do that yesterday.” 

“ _Laundry?_ ” Gavin repeated, raising his eyebrows a bit. “You’re making your guest do your chores?” 

“Listen, it’ll be a team effort.” 

Gavin snickered, looking away from the television and meeting Michael’s amused look. “Can’t believe this.” he said, jokingly. Michael stood, and Gavin followed him down a short hallway, and into the laundry room. 

Michael opened the dryer, pulling out clothes and handing them to Gavin to fold. Gavin was an expedient folder, Michael had found out, and Gavin completed the set in no time. “Isn’t this fun?” Michael said with a smirk, closing the dryer, and moving sideways in front of the washer. “Now hand me the whites.” 

Gavin rolled his eyes, and dug into the laundry basket, pulling out white socks and underwear in the process. “Isn’t this my shirt?” Gavin paused, holding up a white shirt with a navy American Eagle logo on the bottom. 

Michael looked over his shoulder. “Oh, yeah,” he said with a grin. “Forgot I still had that.” 

Gavin playfully threw the shirt at Michael. “It’s not nice to steal people’s things, Michael.” he teased. 

“You gonna cry about it?” Michael shot back, throwing the shirt into the washing machine with the other white clothes. 

Gavin threw a sock at Michael, and laughed as it landed in his hair. “I just might.” 

Michael turned, a smile wide on his face, and walked towards Gavin, making the Brit walk backwards into the wall. Michael was slightly shorter than Gavin was, but still managed to be the more intimidating of the two. Gavin shrunk back, watching Michael’s eyes dart back at forth as his face drew closer to his own. 

“You wanna scrap?” Michael mumbled. 

“I don’t follow your dirty American lingo.” Gavin snickered, jumping back as Michael grabbed his wrists and held them against the wall. 

“I’ll take you down.” Michael threatened again, getting closer to Gavin’s face. Gavin felt his cheeks, all the way to the tips of his ears, redden. He prayed to God that Michael didn’t notice. 

Gavin fell silent, watching Michael’s lip quiver as he focused in on his face. Michael’s breathing grew shallower, and Gavin felt it against his neck. Michael was too busy watching Gavin’s eyes widen, and he felt his whole body tense up as he drew closer. Michael was confused as to why Gavin shrunk back like that. Michael wasn’t _actually_ going to hurt him. 

Michael let go of the tense atmosphere with a smile, releasing Gavin’s wrists and walking backwards towards the washing machine. “We’ll finish this later,” he teased, grabbing a shirt that had been dropped on the floor when Gavin’s wrists were grabbed. 

“I’m gonna go to the washroom,” Gavin said, lowly, quickly walking around Michael and out of the laundry room. He luckily remembered how to get to the first floor bathroom, and locked the door behind him. 

Gavin hunkered over the sink, looking in the mirror at himself. He realized he had been sweating, and saw in the mirror that his cheeks had been tinted to a lighter shade of pink. He quickly turned on the sink, and splashed icy water at his face. He took a deep breath, biting his lip to prevent him from screaming. 

The whole encounter was like out of a dream. Michael had grabbed his wrists so tightly, but at the same time, so _intimately_. Gavin had lost his breath when he felt Michael’s fingers wrap around the base of his hand. Feeling the hot breath on his neck made him quiver, and he knew that Michael could sense the fact that Gavin was holding back. 

Gavin spent five more minutes staring at himself in the mirror, before drying off his face and walking out and back into the laundry room. He was scared at how Michael felt about the incident that had just taken place. He knew that Michael probably didn’t feel the same way that Gavin felt, but he had to have felt something. Everything just happened so fast.

* * *

Once Gavin left to the bathroom, Michael let himself breathe. He ran his fingers through his curly hair, and noticed that the roots were damp with sweat. He couldn’t explain what he just felt when he held Gavin against the wall, but the only word he could use was attraction. The way Gavin submissively looked down at him, with softened eyes, made him feel weightless. Michael could almost feel his veins pulse as he held Gavin’s wrists, and seeing his fingers limp like that, made Michael feel dominant. 

Michael caught his breath. He didn’t want to have these kind of feelings around Gavin. He had just gone on a amazing first date with a beautiful girl, and didn’t want to throw that away. Gavin was his best friend, and quite possibly, the first person he had felt comfortable with in a long time. He didn’t want to lose that. 

Sighing, Michael recollected himself, and finished piling the whites into the washing machine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can't stop listening to superstar by alunageorge
> 
> makes me think of them :-)


	10. Chapter 10

Gavin drowsily swung around the gate of the pool Tuesday morning, a towel hung around his neck and a drawstring bag on his back. He walked to his usual place where he stowed his stuff, and noticed Michael’s bag and shoes already there. Gavin looked up towards Michael’s post, and saw him there talking to Lindsay. 

_Oh._ Gavin shuddered a sigh. He saw Lindsay giggling, and could see Michael’s dimples forming on his cheeks from the distance. Gavin felt the envy burn in his stomach. He knew he should stop watching, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to see Michael’s face brightened and happy, even if it meant talking to someone Gavin wanted so much to be. 

Gavin pulled out his phone, and pretended to be busy. In reality, he had no one to talk to. His only “friends” other than Michael lived across an ocean, and none of them wanted to talk to Gavin on a regular basis anyways. 

“You okay?” 

Gavin looked up. He didn’t realize how long he spent daydreaming, looking at his phone. He expected Michael, but found Ryan, looking down at him with rounded eyes. Gavin saw sunburn splattered across his cheeks, and a faint tanline from his sunglasses around his eyes. 

Gavin shoved his phone in his pocket. “Yeah,” he stuttered, looking away from Ryan’s eye-contact. “Just thinking, is all.” 

Ryan tilted his head. “You look shaken, buddy.” he said with a half-smirk. Gavin always thought it was amusing when Ryan called him ‘buddy’. It made him think of Ryan as the older brother he never had. 

Gavin shrugged, looking past Ryan’s broad shoulders at Michael hugging Lindsay goodbye. “I’m fine.” Gavin gritted, biting his lip in frustration. 

Ryan wasn’t convinced, but could see Gavin getting progressively more tense. “Okay, Gav. I’ll see you Thursday.” He nodded a goodbye to Gavin before pushing past him to collect his belongings and leave the pool area. 

Gavin felt his throat pulse. He didn’t mean to be a jerk to Ryan. Clenching his fists, Gavin watched Lindsay follow after him, a smile on her lips. Gavin cursed her, knowing that Michael was the cause of that smile. After all, Michael was the cause of all of Gavin’s smiles, too. 

“Hey!” Michael called, seeing Gavin by the pool office. He instinctively walked up to him, as he did every work day. “Sorry, I was talking to Lindsay.” 

“I saw.” Gavin stated, blandly. 

Michael looked down, feeling a guilt that he couldn’t explain. He could see that Gavin wasn’t in the best mood. “Oh,” Michael exhaled, beginning to grab his sunglasses out of his bag. “Sorry.” 

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Gavin retaliated, looking at Michael’s face and catching his eyes for a split second. “I’ll talk to you after work, okay?” 

“Yeah. Okay.” Michael murmured, watching Gavin walk off towards his podium. Michael was confused, and knew Gavin was unhappy about something. Is this about _Lindsay?_ Michael instantly thought of the encounter at his house the previous Sunday. He swore he saw Gavin’s face redden, and his breaths quicken, when Michael held his wrists. _Is he jealous?_

Michael’s confusion turned to frustration. Why should Gavin be jealous of this girl? Michael was clearly into her. Gavin should be happy for him! Cursing his friend under his breath, Michael stiffly walked to his lifeguard post, and climbed up into the chair. 

Michael and Gavin made little eye-contact during the shift. Michael didn’t pay much attention to the pool. He stayed watching the sky, and how gray clouds began to cover the pastel sky. Before long, the air dampened, and the wind angrily blew into the little trees planted around the outside of the pool grounds. Michael could feel the oncoming storm heavy on his skin. 

“Alright,” a voice loud on a megaphone shouted, as the wind began to pick up. It was the pool manager, whom Michael hadn’t seen in about two weeks. “Looks like we’ve got a storm coming. The pool’s closing in ten minutes.” 

Michael quickly climbed down from his post, and watched to make sure everyone exited the pool safely. He noticed Gavin out of the corner of his eye grab his things, and begin to exit through the gate. 

Michael hurried to catch up to him. “Wait, Gav!” he called, as he felt the first few prickly raindrops beat against his cheeks. “Gavin!” 

Gavin stopped, glancing over his shoulder at Michael, whose face showed distress and concern. “What?” Gavin asked, voice bitter like the fueling storm outside. 

Michael sighed sharply. “What’s wrong with you?” he growled. “Why are you being such an asshole today? For fuck’s sake, man. Is this because of Lindsay?” 

Gavin’s face instantly grew hot. He could barely fight back the salted tears forming in the corner of his eyes, but refused to let them fall to show signs of weakness. He hated it when Michael snapped at people, and his worst fear was the day that Michael would snap at him. Upon realizing that his worst nightmare was happening in the midst of a summer Texas storm, Gavin bit his lip so hard he tasted blood. 

“Michael, stop yelling at me.” Gavin choked, feeling the wind drive raindrops into his eyes. “I don’t like it when you yell.” 

“I’m not yelling.” Michael snapped angrily. “I’m just fucking done with your mixed signals. Tell me what the fuck your problem is, or I’m done trying to talk to you.” 

Gavin felt his breaths sharpen. “I don’t have a fucking problem!” he yelped, feeling his eyes begin to sting. He didn’t know if it was because the storm, or the tears that were growing tired of being held back. “Not everyone can have a good day, Michael. In case you haven’t picked up, I’m thousands of miles from home! I’m thousands of miles away from my family, my friends, and everything else I’ve ever known! I’d really fucking appreciate it if you’d cut me some fucking _slack_ every now and then.” 

Michael shivered against the wind, blowing his hair in every direction possible. “Slack? _Slack?_ I cut you slack every damn day,” he gritted through his teeth. “I drive you home. I make you breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I play video games with you. I’m your best fucking friend. If that’s not enough for you, then I’m done with you, Gavin. I’m fucking done.” 

“Michael, no-” 

Gavin yelped as Michael pushed past him, angrily stomping towards his car. Gavin couldn’t do anything else but cry. He let all his emotions from the past few days spill out onto his cheeks, and blend with the cold rain pouring down from above. He watched Michael drive away, and could barely tell what car was his after hitting the road due to all the water pelting into his eyes. 

Gavin pulled his shirt over his head, and started the walk home with the Texas storm crashing down onto him.

* * *

Michael slammed his bedroom door. He refused to answer any questions from his parents, and frankly, wanted to talk to no one but himself. How fucking dare Gavin treat him like this, and make him feel like a pathetic excuse for a human being. 

Michael collapsed on his bed, listening to the rain beat against the window and the roof above him. He shuddered as the thunder rattled his bedroom, and was slightly comforted by the warmth and dryness of his room. He was seething with emotion, and couldn’t decide how to calm himself down. All thought processes were interrupted by the violent downpour of the rain. 

_Gavin._

Gavin was the only thing Michael could process in his swarm of thoughts. In the moment, Michael had no control over his words. He couldn’t remember what all he said to him, but he knew it was ugly. The last glimpse he saw of the boy was a sad-faced wet mess as Michael tore past him. He felt immensely guilty driving away, and leaving him to walk in the storm. 

Gavin would probably still be out there. Out in the storm. Michael remembered that Gavin hated storms. He remembered that thunder frightened him, and lightning even more so. Michael struggled to think, but couldn’t think of anything else than going back to the pool. He needed to make things right, even if it meant going out into the storm. 

_Why should I?_

Michael was just about to pick his car keys off of the floor when he remembered why Gavin had been off in the first place. Michael thought back to the Sunday where he had held Gavin against the wall. He tried to pinpoint his feelings of dominance and attraction as he held Gavin’s wrists, but all his emotions were foggy. Michael tried his best to replace them with Lindsay over the past day. 

“He set me up with her in the first place,” Michael muttered to himself, voice muffled by the pillow shoved under his chin. “Why is he being such an ass about it?”

Michael pulled out his phone and clicked the unlock button. He had seven messages, and they were all from Gavin. 

_3:56 PM / Gav: Michael, I’m so sorry._

_3:58 PM / Gav: Michael please talk to me. Please. It’s so cold out here_

Michael bit his lip to prevent it from trembling. 

_3:59 PM / Gav: I didn’t mean for this to happen. You’re my best friend please don’t go_

_4:01 PM / Gav: Michael_

_4:01 PM / Gav: Please respond_

Michael took a sharp breath as all the guilt flooded out from underneath him. 

_4:05 PM / Gav: I’m so stupid_

_4:10 PM / Gav: I don’t know what to do_

Michael locked his phone and throwed it down onto the bed. He grimaced as it bounced onto the floor, but didn’t care enough to pick it up. A sudden sickening feeling in his stomach made him lay motionless in the center of his bed, as Michael debated whether to vomit or not. 

“ _I’m_ so stupid.” Michael groaned, shutting his eyes tightly against another clap of thunder that boomed outside. He was frozen in thought, and didn’t even know how to begin to patch things up with Gavin. The wound seemed too fresh. 

Sighing, Michael climbed under the covers, and fell asleep, in an effort to forget about things even if it meant only for a little while.

* * *

Gavin sat on his bed, soaking wet from the walk to his home. He decided not to look at his phone because he was afraid to see if there was a message from Michael or not. He wanted so badly for Michael to text, or even call, him. He wanted to hear the sincerity in his voice, and the nervous laugh he would mutter once Gavin would say it’s okay. He wanted to hear Michael’s smile over the phone. He wanted Michael, and right now, he was too far to even fathom. 

Gavin felt his throat run dry. He felt so empty. He had no one to talk to, and nowhere to go. He didn’t have the energy to tell Geoff and Griffon what had happened. The only other person he talked to was Ray, and he doubted Ray would even care. Gavin would rather be talking to someone than feeling lonely for the remainder of the day, so he texted him anyways. 

_4:49 PM / Gav: Ray?_

The reply was almost instant. 

_4:50 PM / Ray: Yo, what’s up?_

_4:52 PM / Gav: Michael’s mad at me. He won’t talk to me. I need help._

Gavin felt the anxiety trickle up his spine as he watched the icon flash that signaled Ray was typing. 

_4:54 PM / Ray: Don’t worry about it. Michael does that with everyone. Wait for him to cool down, and he’ll come back around._

Gavin shuddered as he remembered what Michael had shouted at him. 

_I’m done with you Gavin. I’m fucking done._

How does someone say something like that, and not mean it? Gavin wanted so badly to believe Ray’s words, but a part of him knew it was unrealistic. Ray and Michael probably never had a fight like Gavin and Michael had just shared. Ray probably didn’t know what it felt like to have your best friend want nothing to do with you anymore. Gavin’s body felt like a hollowed tree, and he had no one to tell. Numbly, Gavin picked back up his phone. 

_4:57 PM / Gav: Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. Thanks._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ouch!


	11. Chapter 11

Michael laid in bed for a majority of Wednesday afternoon. He refused any food offered to him by his mother, and left his phone turned off underneath his pillow. The rain hadn’t stopped since the previous day, and the skies matched Michael’s mood: dull, dreary, and damp. 

Michael’s mother tried to get information out of her son, but Michael remained silent. He drifted in and out of sleep throughout the day, and wanted nothing more than to remain underneath the covers for the rest of his life. 

Michael tried his best to not think about Gavin, but failed terribly. Gavin consumed his thoughts. Michael kept going back to the splitting moment in the rain, outside the pool grounds, where he turned his back on his best friend. He couldn’t find a place to begin to patch it up. 

Michael hoped for a tornado to prevent him from going to work the next day.

* * *

Gavin watched the rain hit his window, counting how many times a raindrop joined together with another one. He decided to sit down and tell Geoff and Griffon about what happened earlier in the morning. They expressed much sympathy for him, but even that couldn’t stop him from feeling hurt. He wanted to call his biological mom, but decided not to. 

Gavin hadn’t emailed his parents in a week. He knew they were upset about that, but he accepted the fact that he was to get chewed out when he returned to England. Why did his parents want him to email so frequently, anyways? It’s not like life in Texas was all that exciting. 

Gavin checked his phone every two minutes for a text from Michael. He was let down every time, which only upset him more so. The only solace he found was in one of the Ramsey’s cats who took a liking to Gavin. The cat’s name was Egg, and he refused to hang around anyone but Gavin. He slept on Gavin’s bed, and often watched the birds outside while sitting on Gavin’s windowsill. Griffon joked that Gavin should just take Egg with him when he leaves. 

Gavin felt comforted every time he moved his legs and felt Egg’s warm body sleeping beside him. He spent most of his time looking at the back of his eyelids, but every now and then glanced downwards at the sleeping cat or the gray sky outside his window. He felt sick, and wanted to vomit. Gavin didn’t know how much Michael actually meant to him until he wasn’t there anymore. 

“Gavin? You need anything?” Griffon called from another room in the house. Gavin grumbled in response, and knew Griffon wouldn’t be able to hear it. He hoped she would take his silence as a form of ‘no’. 

Gavin’s door creaked open as Griffon poked her head in. “Gavin, sweetie? Are you okay?” 

Gavin remained silent. He could see Griffon glance downwards. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t have any words flowing onto his tongue. “Call me if you need anything,” Griffon murmured, gently shutting the door as she backed out of the room. Gavin sighed deeply. 

The day pressed onwards slowly. Gavin slept through lunch and dinner, and Egg remained at his feet for most of the evening. He decided to flick on the TV after a while and watch reruns of whatever TV shows he recognized. He wanted to prolong the day as much as possible to keep the inevitable tomorrow away.

* * *

Michael groaned. His stomach hurt. He tried drinking tea his mom made for him, and eating dinner, but nothing helped. He knew the only thing that’d relieve him was talking to Gavin, but refused to come to that conclusion. Michael retaliated by staying in bed all day and complain about how his life was withering away. 

Michael was surprised when he received a text message, halfway through a repeat of the newest _Game of Thrones._

_8:21 PM / Ray: You okay man? Gavin said you guys aren’t doing too hot_

Michael sighed audibly. He figured Gavin would tell someone about how much of an asshole Michael was to him at some point. 

_8:22 PM / Michael: Yeah, I’m just a huge pile of shit_

_8:22 PM / Ray: Nah. You just got mad. You should really apologize to him, though. Gavin’s pretty torn_

Michael felt his stomach lurch up to his stomach. Who knows what all Gavin told Ray. 

_8:23 PM / Michael: I know, I know. I’ll apologize tomorrow. I promise_

Michael frowned. He knew he didn’t have the capability to apologize. He would probably end up ignoring Gavin for most of his shift, and then leaving earlier than usual to make sure Gavin wouldn’t have to stop him.

Michael didn’t bother checking for a reply from Ray. He locked his phone and tossed it away from him. He tried focusing on the TV, but his vision kept blurring and distracting him. It was useless to sit here and mope around, and Michael knew it. 

The night pressed on. Michael anticipatingly watched the clock tick from 10:00 to 11:00, and before long, he noticed 3:00 flash across the clock. He felt no sleep in his eyes, and his mind was strained from thinking about Gavin. He had a migraine heavier than any headache he had ever experienced before. He would forget to blink, and only shut his eyes when he felt a sting. 

“Fuck,” Michael spat. He sat up straight in bed, and cursed himself under his breath. “Fuck, fuck, _fuck._ ” 

Michael hurriedly slid out of bed and into his slip-on shoes. His mind was whirling to fast for him to comprehend his thought process. Everything seemed to be moving at a rocket pace, but he was moving at an alarming slow rate. He struggled to pick his car keys off the floor that haven’t moved since Michael threw them there after work on Tuesday. 

Michael skipped down the stairs into his sleeping household. He didn’t bother trying to silence himself, and would accept the face-chewing from his parents when he returned. Right now, he had something to do, and not even the risk of being grounded could prevent him from doing it. 

Michael cursed as he struggled to start his car. Everything was dark, and Michael’s heavy breathing caused his hands to shake. He could feel his fingers tremble as he gripped the steering wheel. He didn’t know how fast he was actually going, but he whirred onto the street, and drove with heavy determination. 

The drive to Gavin’s house seemed longer than ever before. No cars were on the roads, and Michael didn’t even bother to stay under the speed limit. His heart lurched into his heart upon seeing the Ramsey’s house come up in his headlights. The lights were off, but he somehow knew Gavin would be awake. 

Michael shot out of his car, not bothering to lock it. He knew Gavin’s room was on the backside of the house. He ran to it, and praised the Heavens that the Ramsey’s house was a one-story home. 

Michael struggled to open Gavin’s window. It was loose, and unlocked, so Michael slid it open with only a few pulls. He quickly slid inside, and stood to look at his surroundings. 

_Gavin._

Gavin was sitting upright in bed. His face showed no look of surprise or emotion; just raw confusion. He watched Michael with dark, hollowed eyes with his hair in a jumbled mess. The heart in Michael’s throat instantly fell when he noticed how empty his best friend looked. 

“Gavin,” Michael breathed. Gavin’s name was the only thing he could muster. He couldn’t find anything else to say. 

Gavin remained silent. He watched him, waiting for something to happen. He waited for Michael to speak, the anticipation crawling underneath his skin. 

“Gavin, I’m so sorry.” 

_Predictable._ Gavin knew that would be the first words out of Michael’s mouth. He knew he would come back to him, saying sorry, with nothing to back up the apology. He wanted to accept it, and throw his hands up in the air with celebration, but he couldn’t. He needed to know how much Michael wanted him. 

“Sorry for what?” Gavin responded, dully. His eyes stung with tiredness. 

“Everything.” Michael replied, his voice dropping. “I didn’t mean any of it. I was angry, okay? I was just mad that I thought you were feeling that way. It’s nothing you did, Gav. It was all me. I’m so sorry.” 

Gavin’s sorrow was comforted, for a few heartbeats. Something about the sincerity in Michael’s voice made him stop and think. “You thought I was feeling what?” Gavin asked. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Michael say it. 

Michael hesitated. “Jealous,” he eventually murmured. “I know it’s stupid, but I thought you were jealous of Lindsay.” 

Gavin felt his pulse quicken. “Jealous?” he repeated, barely croaking out the words. “Jealous of her?” 

Michael nodded, not knowing what to add to Gavin’s statement. “I’m sorry,” was the only thing he could say. 

Gavin raised his eyebrows, letting his gaze fall to the darkness resonating on the hardwood floor. “Jealous,” he repeated again. “Maybe I am jealous.” 

Michael tilted his head in confusion. “What?” he murmured, walking over to the side of Gavin’s bed. He gently sat, facing Gavin and focusing on the moonlight outlining his cheekbones. 

Gavin chuckled a little, looking up to lock on to Michael’s softened glance. “Maybe I want to be the person you can’t stop talking about.” he began, his heart screaming at him to shut up and stop the words from entering the air. “Maybe I want to spend all my time with you, and call you on the phone until I fall asleep. Maybe I want to sit in the passenger seat of your car, and talk to you about nothing as you drive down the back roads. Maybe I am jealous of Lindsay, for having you.” 

Michael felt his breath rise sharply. The words coming out of Gavin’s mouth were too much to comprehend, and he felt like his head was about to explode. He wanted to take a deep breath and start everything over, but he knew he couldn’t. 

Steadying his shaking hands, Michael took a shallow breath. “Gavin,” he said, feeling his voice crackle. “I already do those things with you.” 

Gavin stopped breathing, and furrowed his eyebrows. He gaped his lips open slightly, enough to take small breaths of the humid air around him. “Michael,” he whispered.

“I’ve fallen asleep on the phone with you four times since I’ve met you.” Michael explained, trying his best not to let his voice crack. “We tried to drive to Dallas, and got lost, and never got there. I spend most of my day talking to you, and being with you. I talk to you about every little detail in my life, and you laugh, even when it’s not funny.” 

Gavin felt his chest swell the more Michael talked. 

“You have nothing to be jealous over, Gavin. If anything, Lindsay should be jealous of you.” Michael said, smirking slightly.

“But she’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?” Gavin mumbled. 

“No,” Michael sighed, glancing downwards for a moment. “She isn’t. And she won’t. She can’t compete with my boi.” 

Gavin smiled. All the doubt pumping through his veins suddenly disappeared. Gavin felt weightless, and Michael was the only thing holding him down. “Thank you, Michael.” he said genuinely. 

Michael grinned, moving his hand closer towards Gavin’s. The silence consumed the room, but the two didn’t seem to notice. They only focused on each other, and the way the darkness pooled on their faces. Michael felt his hand being drawn closer, and closer, to Gavin’s, until it was brushing on top of it. 

Gavin glanced down at Michael’s hand cradling above his. Something about the eerie quiet of the moment made it so _perfect._ Gavin didn’t react the way he did the previous Sunday, but instead, felt more at ease in that moment than anywhere else. 

Gavin turned his hand, slowly intertwining his fingers with Michael’s. Gavin noticed Michael’s eyes turned down, watching Gavin’s lips. He exhaled softly. 

Gavin’s hands were soft. Michael didn’t know what was happening, but he knew it was something that was meant to be. There was no hesitation, just two hands folded together in the dark of the night. Tired eyes watched for any movement, but found comfort in the lack of. 

Michael inched closer to Gavin, watching his lips and feeling his breaths quicken on his neck. “I gotta go home,” Michael whispered delicately, still holding a gentle grip on Gavin’s hand. 

“Don’t,” Gavin replied quietly, as if trying not to ruin the silence. “I don’t want you to go.” 

Michael pressed his lips against Gavin’s forehead, gently puckering them to plant a soft kiss. He didn’t know what was driving him to do it, but it just felt so right. “If I don’t leave now, I never will.” Michael said, closing his eyes as he let Gavin rest his head underneath his chin. 

“Okay,” Gavin murmured. “Okay.” 

Michael slowly brought his face away from Gavin’s, watching him with sleepy eyes. He barely had the energy just thinking about driving home. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

Gavin nodded tiredly. “Okay, Michael.” he whispered. 

Michael slid off of Gavin’s bed, letting his fingers unlace from Gavin’s. He wanted so badly to turn around and fall asleep with the Brit beside him. He knew he had to distance himself now, or get torn apart when Gavin returned to England. 

“Goodnight,” Michael cooed, quietly climbing back into the Texas heat, a smile strewn on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :-) 
> 
> made listening to touch by troy sivan for the most part


	12. Chapter 12

The last weeks of July flew by faster than Michael had predicted. He continued to spend almost all of his time with Gavin, and neither of them had brought up what happened in the early hours of the morning where the two had grown closer than ever before. Michael wanted to press deeper into the relationship, but too nervous to make any moves. Gavin grew confused with the lack of Michael’s advances. 

August 1st came on a Friday. Gavin was at Michael’s house, and the two came to a realization while playing video games that Gavin would be leaving in that month.

“Michael,” Gavin said, his voice cracking slightly. “I’m leaving in three weeks.” 

Michael bit his lip. He knew he would have to talk about Gavin’s departure at some time or another. He tried to prevent catching feelings for Gavin because of this very fact. “I know,” Michael murmured, pausing the game and setting his controller down. 

Gavin looked down at his fingers resting atop of the controller’s thumbsticks. “I don’t want to go home, Michael. I want to stay in Austin with you.” 

Michael cast a sideways glance at Gavin. His face was sunken inwards, and Michael could see his eyes nervously dart from side to side. He scooted closer to him, bringing him in to rest his head on Michael’s chest. He felt Gavin exhale, and watched his back rise and fall as he breathed.

“You have to go back, Gav.” Michael said softly, holding Gavin in his arms. “Just one more year of school.” 

Gavin didn’t say anything, but only continued to take deep, hollowed breaths. Michael could see he was distraught. “Hey, listen,” Michael cooed, bringing Gavin’s face up to look at him directly. “Save your money. The second you get out of school, you’re going straight to the airport to come here. That’s in less than a year.” 

Gavin grinned, but Michael could see the sadness still lingering in his eyes. “You’ve still got three weeks,” Michael said softly. “And that’s good.” 

Gavin nodded, running his fingers through his untamed hair. “Yeah,” he said, voice cracking. “Three weeks.” 

Gavin quickly went and picked up his controller. “Now unpause it.” he chuffed. “So I can get back to beating your ass.”

* * *

Gavin knew that Michael was trying to make the situation better than it actually was. He could see that Michael was discouraged, and he could feel the anxiety that creeped around him whenever the topic of Gavin leaving was brought up. Gavin wanted to forget about England; forget about everything else except for Michael. 

Michael and Gavin worked the remainder of their shifts for the week, trying to not think about the end of the month. The following Saturday was the last day that the public pool was to have lifeguards on duty for the remainder of the year, and Michael and Gavin were given their final paychecks. 

“Thank Christ,” Michael breathed, grabbing his bag after hanging up his whistle for the last time.”I thought this shit would never end.” 

Gavin giggled, adjusting his shirt in an attempt to rid the wrinkles. “It wasn’t that bad.” he countered with a grin. “I mean, you got to look at me all day.” 

“Shut up,” Michael said playfully, elbowing Gavin as he began to walk out the gate. “Don’t flatter yourself.” 

Gavin snickered, following Michael out to his car. It was hotter than usual, and the Texas sky bore not a single cloud. Gavin was relieved that the grayness didn’t last but only a few days. Gavin had grown accustomed to the hot weather, and didn’t mind it as much as he did at the beginning of summer. He wasn’t looking forward to enduring a rainy, English winter in the future. 

“Where to?” Michael said, pushing the key into his car and casting a glance at Gavin. 

Gavin shrugged. “Anywhere.” he answered gently, reclining back in the seat and pushing his sunglasses to rest on the bridge of his nose. He could tell he got the slightest bit sunburnt during his shift. 

“Dinner?” Michael offered. It was 5:30 PM, and Michael was hungry. He hoped Gavin was too, as an excuse to not make food himself. 

“Sounds good.” Gavin agreed. “Where?” 

“Five Guys?” 

“That’s not dinner, Michael!” Gavin exclaimed jokingly. “We have money, now! Let’s go to a nice restaurant.” 

“Like…?” Michael asked, his tone drifting as he tried to think of places to eat. 

Gavin rolled his eyes playfully. “Roaring Fork, Franklin’s, Second Bar.. there’s all kinds of places, Michael.” 

Michael laughed, putting his car in reverse and backing out of the parking space. “I didn’t know you went out to eat all that much.” 

“You think Griffon likes cooking?” Gavin said with a laugh. “She hates it. Geoff likes it more than she does. For the first week I was here, we went to every restaurant in town.” 

“My mom cooks all the time,” Michael shared, turning out onto the road. “And I hate it.” 

Gavin chuckled, watching Michael’s eyes scan the road in front of him. His glasses reflected the pavement, and his lips were upturned in a smile. “So where are you going?”

“Roaring Fork.” Michael answered. “Haven’t been there in awhile. I like their big ass burger.” 

“Is it that big?” Gavin asked.

“It’s literally called the ‘Big Ass Burger.’ Not even lying.”

Gavin laughed. “Okay, then.” he said, watching Michael navigate the road. Just being there in the passenger seat, next to Michael, and behind the open road, made Gavin feel at ease. He wouldn’t mind traveling the world with this boy. The way he smiled just by looking at Gavin made his stomach rise, and he loved it. He loved watching how serious Michael got when he was working, and how his eyes would scan the environment. He would find himself watching Michael, more than the pool, during work.

Gavin knew that his feelings for Michael weren’t going away anytime soon, and frankly, he didn’t mind.

* * *

Michael and Gavin spent three hours eating and talking, until they were too tired to continue a conversation. Michael knew he should start driving home before he would be falling asleep at the wheel. Gavin offered to come home with him, and Michael didn’t turn him away. Being with Gavin was much better than being alone, anyways. 

Gavin and Michael ended up pulling into the driveway of Michael’s house at about 9 PM. They loopily walked up to the porch, and through the front door. Michael came to the realization that his house was empty, and figured his parents went out to dinner and hadn’t been back yet. He didn’t mind, because he had Gavin, and that was all he needed. 

Michael grabbed a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, and took it upstairs with him. He didn’t like beer, but had a taste for wines. He would drink a glass now and then, careful not to show signs of drunkenness around his parents. _Surely they won’t miss a bottle, right?_ Michael didn’t care. All he wanted was to drink the bottle with Gavin in the dark, and fall asleep soon after. 

Michael’s room was dark, with moonlight tracing the outline of his bed. He sat on it, Gavin next to him, and popped the cork off of the wine bottle. Gavin didn’t question why Michael had brought wine, but was quite eager to drink it. Geoff let him drink whatever he wanted, but Gavin never tried wine. 

Michael took the first sip. It was sweet, and Michael liked the cold taste. He passed it to Gavin without a word. Gavin slowly took a drink, liking the sweet, grape juice-like taste that rest on his tongue. Passing the bottle back, he looked at Michael’s face, entranced by the moonlight. 

Michael met Gavin’s soft gaze. His face was chiseled by the darkness, and starlight intertwined itself in Gavin’s hair. Michael quietly took another drink, still not daring to ruin the romantic silence. 

Gavin watched Michael’s lips, wine residue resting just above them. He could see his mouth was gaped slightly. Gavin wanted to say something, so bad, and began to open his mouth to do so, but Michael hushed him. 

“Don’t say anything.” Michael said gently. He could see Gavin longingly watching his lips, eyes, and everything else. He inched closer to his face, bringing a hand up to cup Gavin’s cheek. 

_Now._

Michael kissed him. 

Michael kissed Gavin with all the adoration and longingness that had been stored inside of him since he first laid eyes on him. He closed his eyes, melting into the kiss that he had wanted to do for so long. He felt Gavin move forward, bringing his hands to the back of Michael’s head and running his fingers through the curls in his hair. Michael tasted the wine on Gavin’s tongue, and could smell the alcohol through his breath. 

Michael didn’t know how long they stayed there, limbs intertwined, with the wine bottle still in Michael’s right hand, until Gavin pulled away, breathless. He looked so _attractive_ in the darkness, out of breath, with a sheepish grin on his face.

“Michael,” Gavin whispered. He didn’t know what else to say. The kiss felt so _right_ , and so _perfect_ in the atmosphere. It’s like his whole summer had been leading up to this moment. It was like what he had learned in English class: this was the climax. Everything after this would be the falling action, and Gavin knew that involved him leaving Michael to return to England. 

“Don’t say anything,” Michael cooed, bringing himself in to kiss Gavin again. This time, they moved in unison. Body heat passing forward to one another, hands touching hair, chests pressing against each other’s. Michael dropped the wine bottle, and he heard it fall onto the hardwood floor. Thankfully, it didn’t break, just spilled most of it’s contents. Michael knew he could clean that up later. 

Gavin laid Michael down on the bed, moving his lips up to kiss Michael’s forehead. Michael suddenly felt exhausted, and he knew Gavin felt the same. He watched as Gavin laid behind him, wrapping his arms around Michael’s waist, and burying his head in the crook of Michael’s neck. 

Michael exhaled slowly, wrapping himself in Gavin’s heat. He wanted to keep kissing him for hours, but knew he had to get some sleep. He could feel the sleepiness creep through to his eyes, and couldn’t help but shut them. Within moments, Michael fell asleep, with the thick smell of wine still lingering on his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	13. Chapter 13

Michael blinked open his eyes, the Sunday morning light creeping through his window and spilling onto the floor. He tasted the stale wine on his tongue, and could still smell Gavin’s cologne in the air. He remembered last night, and felt his blood rise. Turning, he noticed Gavin was absent from his bed. 

Michael looked on the floor. The spilled wine and dropped wine bottle were gone. Everything seemed in order, and it was like as if nothing had happened. _Did I seriously dream that whole thing?_ Michael felt his stomach drop, shutting his eyes tightly against the morning. _Did that not really happen?_

Cursing the existence of realistic dreams, Michael forced himself to try and fall back asleep, in an effort to forget about everything that had happened.

* * *

Gavin was halfway home. He woke up early that morning, knowing he had to leave. He couldn’t force himself to wake up and focus on Michael’s bed-hair and sleepy eyes. He couldn’t hear Michael’s morning voice, or watch him stretch and smirk as he did so. Gavin couldn’t stay, because he knew if he stayed, he couldn’t leave. He was leaving America in a matter of weeks, and knew he just couldn’t get any closer to Michael in the mean time. 

He should be awake by now. Gavin thought about how confused, or even angry, Michael must be. _I’m sorry. It’s for our own good._ Gavin kept repeating words in his head to calm him down, but could only think about what happened on Michael’s bed the previous night. His lips ached to clash with Michael’s again, and he wanted to feel his warmth up against his chest. He wanted so much, but knew he couldn’t have any of it. 

Once Gavin arrived home, he silently went to his room and shut the door behind him. He laid in bed, and wanted Michael beside him like he fell asleep last night. Feeling lonely, Gavin laid on his side and stared at the wall, thinking about everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. 

“Why did he fucking do that..” Gavin sighed, suddenly feeling a pang of anger towards his best friend. “Why did he fucking kiss me when he knows I’m gonna leave. Why did he fucking do this to me?” 

Gavin felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it out, he noticed that he had received a new text message from Michael.

_11:04 AM / Michael: Gavin?_

Gavin stared at his name. Why wasn’t Michael asking where he was, or anything like that? Did Michael even remember what happened? 

Shuddering a sigh, Gavin typed back a reply. 

_11:05 AM / Gav: Yeah?_

_11:05 AM / Michael: I had a dream about you last night._

Gavin tilted his head a bit. He wondered if Michael thought the whole ordeal was a dream. Maybe Gavin could play it off, and treat it as if it was. 

_11:06 AM / Gav: What happened?_

_11:07 AM / Michael: We kinda kissed.._

_Oh._ So Michael _did_ think it was a dream. Maybe he would’ve remembered if Gavin stayed there, holding Michael close to his chest. Gavin’s heart suddenly ached with the bitter longing of Michael beside him. 

Gavin waited a bit before texting back. 

_11:09 AM / Gav: Oh._

"Oh" was the only thing Gavin could think of. He wanted to tell Michael it was all real, but maybe it was just the wine that made it so. Who knows the facts anymore? All Gavin knew for sure is that he was leaving at the end of August, and he was falling in love with a boy who thinks he dreamt of kissing Gavin. 

_11:09 AM / Michael: Oh?_

_11:10 AM / Gav: It wasn’t a dream_

Gavin felt his fingers go numb. He knew he had to tell Michael it was real. The passion in the kiss, and the attraction in the way Michael looked at him was too real to let go. It was all Gavin could’ve wanted to experience with the person he was falling for, and he knew he had to embrace it. 

Minutes went by with no reply from Michael. Gavin grew tense. What if Michael was mad at him? He didn’t think it was likely, but it was a possibility. 

_11:17 AM / Michael: I’m coming over_

Gavin didn’t reply. He locked his phone and tossed it beside him. He didn’t care if Michael came over to yell at him. Michael was the one who kissed him. If anything, the whole ordeal was Michael’s fault. 

Michael entered into Gavin’s door, a short ten minutes after sending the message. He saw Gavin laying down, looking up at the ceiling, with this arms by his sides. He had his legs under the covers. He didn’t react when Michael opened the door. 

“Gavin,” Michael said softly, gently shutting the door and walking over to sit on the bed. “You okay?” 

Gavin was unresponsive for a short moment. “No,” he said finally, sitting up in his bed to face Michael directly. “I’m not okay. This isn’t okay.” 

“What do you mean?” Michael pressed. 

“It’s not okay that I’m leaving in three weeks, after kissing you last night. It’s not okay that I’m falling in love with a boy I met two months ago. I’m not okay every time I see you in the morning, listening to your morning-voice and laughing at your messy hair. You make me not okay, and I don’t ever want you to stop.” 

Michael was speechless, able to feel his heart beating in his throat. He felt his hands twitch as he reflected on Gavin’s words. He didn’t really think that Gavin was that into him. He always suspected it, but didn’t know how far it had come along.

Michael’s feelings were mixed, however. He didn’t really think he would ever be “gay”. He didn’t like the term. He didn’t think there should be a term; and that it should be okay for everyone to love as they please. Michael never felt the attraction he had towards Gavin with Lindsay, which brought up uneasy confusion. He didn’t want to think of Gavin in that way, but couldn’t help it. 

“Say something,” Gavin said hotly, his eyes locking with Michael’s in a ferocity that Michael had never seen. “Please, say something.” 

“I don’t know what to say.” Michael started, watching Gavin’s eyes desperately flicker back and forth. “I haven’t been able to decipher what I’m feeling.” 

“What do you mean?” Gavin pressed, inching a bit closer to Michael, the passion in his eyes fading to concern. 

Michael swallowed hard. “I mean… you make my stomach hurt, Gavin. You make my stomach hurt from laughing, and from anxiety whenever I’m not with you. I can’t play Xbox or watch TV with you not being there because my mind is somewhere else, and I can’t focus. I can’t go to bed without talking to you. I love seeing you smile, and when you forget to rub the sunscreen completely in on your nose and it leaves a little white smudge.” 

Gavin smirked slightly, looking down at his hands grasped together. He felt content knowing that Michael was feeling the same thing that he was. “So what do you want to do?” Gavin finally said after a few moments of dwelling on Michael’s words. 

Michael shrugged, knowing it was hopeless to do anything. Gavin was leaving, and Michael was staying. “What can we do?” he asked, running his fingers through his curls. “Are we like… a _thing_?” 

“A thing?” Gavin asked, puzzled. “Like, a couple?” 

“Y-yeah,” Michael stammered, the awkwardness burning at his cheeks. “A _couple_.” 

Gavin stared at his wall, starting to pick at his fingernails. “Um,” he hummed, unsure of what to say after that. “We can be, I mean, if you want to…” 

Michael exhaled sharply. He had never been this close to being in a relationship, and it scared him. “I don’t know. We kissed, didn’t we? Even though I don’t remember what was real and what was a dream?” 

Gavin bit his lip. “This isn’t a dream.” 

“Well I know this isn-” 

Gavin eagerly cut Michael off with another smooth kiss on the lips. He closed his eyes, letting his senses soak up all that was Michael. He smelled the patchouli that his mom always burned in the house, and could still taste the faint bit of wine still on Michael’s breath. Gavin brought his hands up to cup Michael’s jawline just as Michael gently pulled away. 

“So, we are a thing.” Michael asked, half jokingly. He pulled his hand up to ruffle Gavin’s hair playfully. 

Gavin smiled, leaning down to kiss Michael’s forehead. “Yes, Michael. We’re a thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait, and shortness guys!! (:   
> marching band season is officially over, so that means i can actually have a life again, haha


	14. Chapter 14

Gavin spent the rest of the day with Michael napping on his chest as he watched the everyday reruns on TV and listened to the wind and leaves build their chord of rustling out his window. He was so content, and couldn’t imagine anywhere else he would rather be. He felt his mind drift every time he tried to focus on the TV, which was currently airing _Chopped_. He kept thinking back, and remembering, that Michael was here, and had his arms wrapped around his chest. Gavin felt his face flush whenever he thought of it. 

Michael napped on and off for about an hour, before sitting up a little bit and yawning. He adjusted his glasses, and tried his best to flatten his hair with his fingers. The summer humidity was doing absolutely nothing for the good of his hair. He gave up soon enough, and relaxed in the crook of Gavin’s arm.

“ _Chopped_?” Michael said with a snicker. “I didn’t know you watch _Food Network_.” 

“I like _Chopped_.” Gavin said, looking down at Michael’s pale face looking back up at him. “I also like _Cutthroat Kitchen, Restaurant Impossible, and Iron Chef_.” 

“Yet you can’t cook.” Michael teased. 

“I can cook!” Gavin defended, smiling a little. 

“I know, I know. I’m just messin’ with you.” Michael murmured, resting his head back on Gavin’s chest. “I watch those shows too. It’s my guilty pleasure.” 

“You watch _Iron Chef_?” Gavin said, in a bit of disbelief. “Did you see last season’s finale?” 

“Yeah,” Michael snickered. “Chef Freitag should’ve won.” 

“I know, right?” Gavin gaped. “Geoffrey Zakarian is my favorite.” 

“He’s okay.”

“You’re okay.” 

Michael laughed a bit. “What kind of insult is that?” he asked jokingly. 

Gavin shrugged, smirking. “A good one.” he said, tightening his embrace around Michael a bit. “I could just do what I normally do and call you a donut.” 

“I’m fine with that.” Michael smiled.

* * *

Michael ended up going home later that night, after eating dinner with the Ramsey’s. He knew it was going to be hard to eventually leave Gavin, but also knew if he stayed another night his parents would be fuming. Michael spent a long while hugging Gavin in the driveway as the soft moonlight pooled in their eyes.

“Don’t go, Michael.” Gavin murmured in Michael’s ear, feeling his shoulders rise and fall as Michael breathed. 

“I have to.” Michael whispered back, pulling away and looking up at Gavin in the dark. “I’ll come back tomorrow. I promise.” 

Gavin nodded, smiling faintly. “Okay.” he said, pulling Michael in for one last embrace. He kissed the top of his head affectionately before letting go, and watching Michael turn towards his car. 

“Goodnight,” Gavin called, watching Michael turn his head and laugh. 

“Goodnight, Gav.” Michael answered, opening his car door and starting the engine for the lonely drive home.

* * *

“Michael Vincent Jones!” 

Michael froze as he opened the front door of his home. The first instinct that cycled in his mind was fear. Why else would his mom call out his full name like that? He quickly pulled out his phone to check the time. _8:47. I’m not too late._ After the fear settled, Michael had little time to think before his mom yelled again. 

“Come into the dining room _right now_.” 

Michael swallowed hard, feeling his cheeks flush and his legs go numb as he struggled to walk to the dining room. As he turned the corner, he found his mom and dad sitting at the table, the bags under their eyes prominent, and both of them looking bleak. His dad had more of a blank expression, whereas his mom looked furious. 

“Yes?” Michael said, his voice cracking as he met his mom’s darkened gaze. 

“Where were you all day?” she interrogated, her lips sinking. 

“I was at Gavin’s.” Michael answered sheepishly. 

Michael’s mom cast a sideways glance at her husband, who was staring blankly at his folded hands. “Your father was up at 8:00 AM today, and says that you weren’t here. You were at Gavin’s at 8 in the morning?” 

Michael nodded, feeling his stomach sink as his mom went on. “I doubt it, Michael. You were with that girl, weren’t you?” 

Michael shook his head desperately. “No, no, mom. I was with Gavin, I promise you I was.” 

“Stop lying, Michael!” his mom shouted, banging her hand on the table enough to spook Michael. “Stop using your so-called ‘best friend’ as a cover up for what you’ve been doing! It’s very inconsiderate of you!” 

Michael searched for a hint of sympathy in his mother’s eyes, but could find none. “Mom, I swear, I didn’t see Lindsay last night. Only Gavin.” 

_“Last night?”_

_Shit._ Michael had done himself in with that one. All he wanted was to drive back to Gavin’s and melt in his arms, but knew he couldn’t. He had to deal with his furious mom, and his silent dad beforehand. 

“I went to Gavin’s in the night.” Michael confessed, watching his mom’s expression change from furious, to livid. 

Michael’s mom narrowed her glance. “What was Gavin doing that was so interesting that you couldn’t wait until daytime?” 

“Nothing, mom. He was just sad.” Michael said, trying his best to make it sound appealing to his mom. “He needed comfort.” 

“He lives with the nicest family in Austin, Michael. He didn’t need you. He could’ve walked 10 feet to see them.” 

Michael felt his fear start to dwindle into rage at the bottom of his stomach. _Didn’t need me? Didn’t fucking need me? Bull fucking shit!_

Michael threw his fist on the table, causing his mom to jump back and his dad to gain some sort of emotion in his eyes. “ _Didn’t need me?_ ” Michael shouted, feeling his anger start to boil his blood. “Gavin needed me. Gavin needed me so much. I’m his best friend, and the least I can do is comfort him when he’s sad. Don’t you ever tell me that he doesn’t need me.” 

“Michael,” his dad said sternly. “Do not talk to your mother like that.” 

“I’m defending myself. I can’t do that?” Michael snapped back. 

Michael’s mother glared at her son. “Go to your room, Michael. I don’t want to hear anymore of this. And from now until I see you’ve gotten a sense of respect around here, I’m taking your car keys.” 

“ _What?_ ” Michael said, his voice cracking. 

“Hand them over, Michael.” his mom snapped, scaring Michael enough to drop his car keys on the table. He didn’t want to hear another word. Michael quickly turned-tail and ran up to his room, slamming the door behind him, and collapsing on his bed. 

Michael immediately sent a text to Gavin. 

_8:58 PM / Michael: I got my car taken away._

Gavin, contently laying on his bed, pulled up his phone to read the new message from Michael. His stomach instantly fell upon reading it. 

_8:59 PM / Gav: What? How?_

_9:00 PM / Michael: They were mad at me for not being there all day, and I kinda snapped at em. So yeah. Can’t go anywhere for awhile_

Gavin’s head drooped. 

_9:00 PM / Gav: You promised to come over again tomorrow_

Michael felt his heart rise into the middle of his throat. He hated to disappoint Gavin like this, but it wasn’t his fault. 

_9:01 PM / Michael: At any time they could come up to take my phone, too. I’m sorry Gav. I don’t regret anything we did_

Gavin smiled, pulling the sheets over him. 

_9:02 PM / Gav: Me neither :)_

Michael texted Gavin before he fell asleep promptly at 10:30. His parents never came up to bother him anymore that night, to his relief, and he still had possession over his phone. The thought of having to stay at home for who knows long still irked him, though. He liked being able to drive away from his problems, and blast music at full volume to instantly perk himself up. 

Gavin tossed his phone to the side after Michael had not replied for fifteen minutes. He figured he had fallen asleep, which he didn’t mind. Gavin was tired too. He wished he could repeat the previous night: falling asleep with Michael in his arms. It was the closest thing to perfect he’d ever experienced. He wanted it to last eternities, but now wouldn’t be able to do it again because Michael had gotten himself into trouble. 

Gavin sighed, aching for someone to hold as he fell asleep. He made sure to have Michael be the last thing on his mind before he drifted off, to ensure a dream involving him. 

Gavin eventually fell asleep, counting the freckles on Michael’s cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda short, but whatev


	15. Chapter 15

“Michael, you need to start doing things around this house.” 

The critique overflowing from his parents’ mouths made Michael want to vomit. Ever since he got his car keys taken away, his parents only wanted to snap and complain about the shit he never does. Michael _never_ washed dishes because his mom never asks him to, but since that night, that’s all his mom groaned about. 

“You could offer to help me with dishes, you know?” Mrs. Jones said matter-of-factly. It was now Wednesday, and Michael had been car-less for two full days. He was completely sick of his parents’ constant whining. 

“Maybe I would if you asked.” Michael mumbled under his breath after his mom left his room, slamming the door behind her. He hadn’t really left his room in the past few days, since there wasn’t any need to. He managed to clean out the miscellaneous things in his desk drawers, and pick up the clothes off his floor. He spent most of his time in isolation texting Gavin. 

_1:24 PM / Michael: I would ask you to come help me sneak out but your sorry ass doesn’t have a car_

Gavin snickered upon reading the newest message from Michael. He had now added a heart to the end of Michael’s name in his phone, which made him smile every time he saw it. He was currently helping Griffon tend to her garden in the front yard, but stopped to text Michael back. 

_1:25 PM / Gav: I will one day, and I’ll drive you anywhere you want_

Michael grinned widely. 

_1:25 PM / Michael: That day better be soon because I think I’m gonna go crazy in here_

* * *

The rest of the day ticked on as slow as ever. Michael lived through his cycle of playing Xbox, cleaning up a little bit more, and reflecting upon himself, then repeating. It wasn’t until about 5:30 when he saw his mom again. 

“Dinner’s ready.” he said blandly, before shutting his door again. Michael groaned, wondering why his mom had to throw a fit in everything she did. He understood she was upset, but did she have to be so childish? Cursing himself and his family under his breath, Michael got up and walked downstairs for dinner.

Michael found his mom stirring a steaming pot on the stove. He searched and found nearby spaghetti noodles in a strainer on the counter. Satisfied with tonight’s meal options, he collected a plate from the cabinet and served himself. 

Michael sat down at the table around his family. They were quiet, and he could see the discomfort in his mom’s face.

Mr. Jones was quiet, as usual. He typically wasn’t a very talkative person, but lately, Michael would be lucky if he would witness five words a day come out of his mouth. Michael wasn’t going to be the first person to say something at the dinner table, so he kept quiet and ate his spaghetti. 

“I noticed you cleaned your room.” Mrs. Jones said after a while, shooting a glance at her son. 

Michael nodded, taking a small sip of water. “I did.” 

“If you hadn’t of got in trouble I’m almost positive you wouldn’t have.” 

Michael felt the anger begin to rise in his throat, just like it had done Sunday night. Every good thing he did, his mom had to turn it around. He tried to make his facial expression seem as much _“What the fuck are you trying to do”_ as he possibly could. 

“Cheryl,” Mr. Jones said with a snap, causing his wife to turn her head towards him. “That’s enough. Be glad he cleaned his room.” 

Michael’s mom looked back at her son before setting down her fork and picking up her napkin. She said nothing, but Michael could tell she disagreed with her husband. 

Michael finished his dinner as fast as possible, washed his plate in the sink, and trekked upstairs for a night of loneliness. 

_6:08 PM / Gav: Can’t you play Xbox with Ray?_

_6:09 PM / Michael: he’s in New York for the next week_

Michael had told Gavin he was bored at least three times in the span of five minutes. Gavin felt bad for him, but didn’t know what to do. He only vowed to keep texting him to keep him some sort of company. 

Michael played Xbox with himself until he fell asleep late that night, knowing he had nothing to get up for the following day.

* * *

_9:34 PM / Gav: Griffon printed out my boarding passes today_

Michael felt his stomach twist. He’d tried his best to forget that Gavin was leaving in two weeks now, but knew it was inevitable. Gavin was going to leave whether he liked it or not. He could be with him right now if he didn’t fuck up so badly. 

_9:36 PM / Michael: Oh_

The two-worded reply from Michael made Gavin a little mad. He was mad at himself for finding himself in a relationship so close to his departure date, and he was also mad at Michael for not being here. It started out as emptiness, but slowly turned to rage. All he wanted was _Michael_. 

_9:40 PM / Gav: I need you_

Michael sighed, huddled underneath his sheets with the fan above him spinning at medium speed. 

_9:41 PM / Michael: I need you more_

_9:41 PM / Gav: Come over then_

_9:42 PM / Michael: I can’t_

Michael remembered that his parents had left thirty minutes ago to go to a late night movie premiere. They told Michael they wouldn’t be home until about midnight. He saw this as his opportunity, and was so proud of himself that he had to text Gavin immediately. 

_9:43 PM / Michael: Actually my parents are gone for like 2 hours. I’m coming over_

Gavin was so shocked and excited that he forgot to reply for a few minutes. He didn’t know Michael could be so rebellious. He couldn’t deny he wanted to see Michael very badly, but also didn’t want him to get in trouble. He vowed to make sure Michael got home with plenty of time to waste. 

Michael ran downstairs, rifling through his mom’s office desk for his car keys. He found them, buried in a pile of pencils, keychains, and business cards. Predictable. Michael grinned, flicking off the light and heading towards the door. He gave Lenny a quick pat on the head before exiting, locking the house, and confidently walking down the porch steps. 

The summer night was humid, but pleasant. It was clear, and the crescent moon shone with a silver aura. He could hear the crickets sing their songs in the nearby woods. Michael hadn’t been outside in a few days now, and didn’t realize how much he missed it. 

Michael slid into his car, smelling the familiar strawberry scent of his air freshener. It felt good to be back in his car. He started the engine, and backed seamlessly out of the driveway. 

Michael managed to make the familiar twenty minute drive to Gavin’s in about fifteen minutes. He drove to the Ramsey's, and found his boyfriend sitting in the lawn, eagerly waiting for him. 

Michael parked the car, feeling his fingers begin to shake out of excitement. He quickly shut off his engine and pulled his keys out, opening the door and embracing the calm summer night outside. He couldn’t get to Gavin fast enough. 

Gavin ran to meet him halfway. They met in a tight embrace, hugging with all the passion that was missing from the past few days. Michael missed smelling Gavin’s cologne on his shirt, and feeling his arms wrapped around his back. He missed feeling the scratchy stubble of Gavin’s facial hair on his face. Most of all, he missed the warmth that Gavin gave him whenever he hugged him. 

“I missed you, Michael.” Gavin said softly, tightly shutting his eyes and melting into the embrace. He felt Michael inhale and exhale on his chest, and could feel the hot air on his neck. 

“I missed you too, Gavin.” Michael replied, pulling away enough to look up and meet Gavin’s warm gaze. His green eyes were darkened by the night, but intertwined with the silver of the starlight. 

Gavin led Michael over to the spot where he was sitting, and sat him down on the lawn. “I can’t believe you snuck out.” Gavin said with a grin, laying down in the grass. Michael followed his movements, inching closer to Gavin and setting his head in the crook of his arm. 

“All for you.” Michael said tiredly, watching the stars flicker in the nightscape above him. 

Gavin smiled, turning his head over to watch Michael’s eyes dart back and forth through the night. He turned his back, to watch the sky as well. “Thank you.” Gavin said calmly. 

Michael and Gavin stayed in the grass, laying on their backs, for about an hour and a half. Michael only felt fear as he checked his phone and noticed that it was close to 11:30. He knew he had to leave, but didn’t at all want to. 

“I have to go.” Michael said, turning to face Gavin, who was watching him. 

Gavin’s eyes dropped. “I don’t want you to,” he said, intertwining his fingers with Michael’s, and holding his hand close to his chest. 

Michael smiled, brushing back Gavin’s hair with his free hand. “I don’t want to either.” 

Gavin stiffened, smiling faintly, and sitting up. He adjusted his hair, as Michael had tried to. Both of the boys stood up, and Gavin began to walk Michael over to his car, their hands still held together. 

“I guess it’s goodbye.” Michael said, stopping beside his car door and looking behind him at Gavin. 

Gavin nodded, tightening his grip on Michael’s hand. “I guess so.” 

Michael watched Gavin’s eyes dart from side to side. He slowly began to move forward, pressing Michael up against his car. Gavin softly touched his lips to Michael’s, kissing him gently and passionately. Michael was just about to deepen the kiss before Gavin pulled away, leaving Michael breathless. 

“I don’t know when I’ll see you.” Gavin said with a gentle grin. Michael smiled, moving in for a final hug. 

“Soon, I promise.” he said into Gavin’s neck. “I don’t care what my parents say.” 

Gavin pulled away, opening Michael’s car door and allowing him to climb inside. “Goodnight, my boi.” he said with a smile. 

“Goodnight.” Michael said, smirking as he shut his door. He slowly backed out of the Ramsey’s driveway, watching Gavin more than the road behind him. With one final sigh, Michael turned out onto the road and back to the familiar route to his house. 

Michael came home, relieved to find that his parents were still out. He parked the car, climbed out of it, and walked up to the front door. He unlocked it, walked inside, and locked it back, a sigh of relief fresh on his lips. 

Michael quickly stashed the car keys back in the desk drawer before going up for bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a chapter a day after the other?? wow!!


	16. Chapter 16

The next week came as slow as possible, and Michael was beginning to grow restless in in what he now thought of as his prison. He left his room to eat, clean, and feed the dog. His mom still hadn’t said anything about returning his car keys, and thankfully, hadn’t suspected that he left the house against her will the previous Thursday night. 

On Sunday afternoon, Michael’s dad propped open his door. 

“Michael?” he said gently. Michael could see that he wasn’t here to gripe, so decided that he would be friendlier.

“Yeah, come in.” Michael called, closing his laptop. 

Mr. Jones slowly walked inside, closing the door behind him and sitting down beside Michael on his bed. His face looked gentle, and Michael was glad that he had finally decided to talk instead of his mom. 

Michael’s dad quickly reached inside his pocket. It happened too fast for Michael to predict what he was going to pull out. When the sunlight hit the small bundle of silver in his dad’s palm, Michael instantly knew what it could be. 

_My keys._

“I want to give these back to you.” 

Michael’s dad placed the keys in Michael’s hands before moving his own back to his lap. “I don’t know what’s crawled into your mom recently, but I think she should cut you some slack. I think you got the point.”

Michael smiled, wrapping his fingers around the cool silver of the keys. “Does mom know you’re giving these back to me?” 

Michael’s dad smirked, meeting his glance. “I’ll talk to her. For now, go for a drive or something. You can’t live out your summer in this room.” 

Michael grinned, looking down at his keys. He found the keychain that Gavin had won him in a pizza restaurant arcade. It was a silly looking, rubber, brown dog with eyes that bulged when you squeezed it’s body. It was so dumb, but Michael had put it on his key ring when Gavin had gotten it. 

_“I won it for you, Michael”_ Gavin had said, with his usual cheeky grin. Michael couldn’t explain it’s importance, but for some reason, he loved it. 

“Thanks, dad.” Michael said, laughing a bit when he felt the warmth of his dad’s smile. His dad simply stood, and went to walk out the door. “Just keep your room clean, okay?” he said, humorously, before walking out. Michael quickly turned and grabbed his phone. 

_2:05 PM / Michael: got my keys back. We’re going out. Be ready in 20_

Gavin was playing Xbox when he got the message. Smiling, and feeling a fit of excitement beginning to run down his veins, he eagerly texted back.

_2:06 PM / Gav: Getting ready now_

Michael combed his hair down, cleaned his glasses, and put on a fresh shirt. He was starting to get into the bright pastel colors now, and half of his shirts were of that color scheme. He chose a bright orange shirt with ivory shorts, and hurried out the door. 

Michael passed his dad on the way down who smiled at him as he exited the house. It was pretty hot outside, and was one of those days that Michael cursed living in Texas. He had grown used to the heat throughout his life, though moving from New Jersey to Texas was a big leap. 

Michael could barely drive due to his hands shaking of excitement. He passed the familiar houses, and saw the usual people outside working on their gardens or playing with their dogs. He passed the friendly white family that did almost all of their summer cooking outside, and owned two large black poodles. He passed the newlywed interracial couple that loved to tend their herb garden in the front yard. Lastly, Michael passed the empty blue house with the dolphins painted on the front that signaled he was growing close to the Ramsey’s. 

Michael turned his car into the Ramsey’s driveway, and quickly opened his door to get out. It wasn’t long before Gavin opened the door to meet him.

Gavin shut the door behind him, struggling to pull the door towards him. His stomach was pulsing with excitement, and he could feel his fingers trembling slightly. He hadn’t been able to sit passenger-side in Michael’s car and go for a drive in such a long time. He missed the sun warming his face, and the wind tugging at his hair as Michael rolled down the windows. He told Michael he hated it when he spiked the volume to the max and blasted music, but Gavin had to admit that he missed it. It was such an exhilarating experience, and Gavin couldn’t wait to breathe it in again. 

“Gavvy Wavvy!” Michael said, jokingly, as he stood next to his car. Gavin hurried across the lawn, not wasting any time before holding Michael amorously. 

Michael pressed into the warmth of Gavin’s chest, feeling his muscles flex underneath his thin, pale blue shirt. 

Gavin pulled away a few moments later, his arms still wrapped around Michael’s sides. “So where to today, love?” he said, charmingly, reaching down to plant a soft kiss on Michael’s lips. 

Michael smiled, missing the taste of Gavin’s strawberry-chapstick flavored lips on top of his. “I was thinking we’d drive around and maybe go to lunch. Doesn’t matter, really.” 

Gavin smiled, kissing Michael a second time, this time quicker and sloppier. “Let’s go, then.” he said, turning and opening the driver’s door for Michael. 

Michael laughed, pulling away from Gavin’s embrace and climbing into the car. Gavin shut his door, then traveled around to the passenger side. He immediately recognized the strawberry scent that was wafting through Michael’s car. He reminisced, realizing how long it had been since Michael had driven him anywhere. 

Michael quickly started the car, and put it in reverse. He backed out of the Ramsey’s driveway and turned, giving his phone to Gavin. “Plug it in, please.” he asked, then handing Gavin the AUX cord. Gavin did so, then opened Michael’s music playlist, selecting a song and turning up the volume. 

Michael drove to his favorite burger joint: Hut’s Hamburgers. He’d introduced Gavin to Hut’s towards the beginning of the summer, and Gavin loved it. It was an affordable place to eat and the atmosphere was enjoyable. Michael always ordered Arnold’s Best, complete with guacamole, bacon, lettuce, and pepper jack cheese. Gavin kept it simple with the Keller’s Classic, topped with lettuce, 1000 island dressing, tomato, and grated cheddar cheese. 

“I missed you.” Michael said after turning into the parking lot of Hut’s and shutting the car off. He locked with Gavin’s somber gaze. 

“I missed you too.” Gavin responded, his lips curling upwards in a gentle smile. They shared a moment in each other’s eyes before simultaneously opening their car doors and embracing the Texas heat outside. 

Gavin grabbed Michael’s hand, intertwining their fingers, and walking with him to the front of the restaurant. He opened the door, allowing Michael to walk in first, and instantly feel relieved by the air conditioner. 

“How many?” a redheaded waitress with a large smile and bright, blue eyes asked from her podium near the front entrance. 

“Two.” Michael answered, as the redhead took two menus from inside her podium.

“Follow me.” the waitress said in a sing-song voice. Michael and Gavin followed after her, looking around at the faces of the people sitting down to eat. There was a variety of ages, and they were all smiles and laughs. The waitress led Michael and Gavin to a table near the wall, that was decorated in newspaper clippings and popular old-time pictures and license plates. 

“Your server will be with you shortly.” the redhead said with a toothy smile. Michael and Gavin nodded, and she turned tail back to her position at the front entrance. Michael flashed Gavin a soft glance from across the table. Gavin smiled, and looked down at his menu. 

“Probably gonna get my usual,” Michael murmured, opening the menu and finding the Arnold’s Best. 

“Same,” Gavin agreed, looking over the menu, but remembering the taste of the Keller’s Classic. 

A few moments later, a tall girl with her brunette hair tied up in a loose bun walked up to the side of the table. She had thick mascara on her eyelashes, and dark brown eyes that were weary from a long day’s work. She was holding a notepad, signaling that she was Michael and Gavin’s waitress. 

“Hi, my name is Kelly,” the girl said, flipping to a new page in her notepad. “and I’ll be your server this afternoon. Can I get you started on any drinks today?” 

“Dr. Pepper, please.” Michael answered, closing his menu and flashing Kelly a sincere smile. 

Kelly quickly wrote Michael’s drink down, and turned at Gavin. “And for you?” 

“Sweet tea.” Gavin said with a crack in his voice. 

Kelly nodded, and wrote it down. “Are you guys ready or do you need a few more minutes?” 

Michael and Gavin exchanged glances. “I think we’re ready,” Michael said with a smile. He watched Kelly nod, and then said his order. “Arnold’s Best, please.” 

Kelly nodded, scribbling it down, and turning to Gavin. “Keller’s Classic, please?” he said timidly, closing his menu and stacking it on top of Michael’s. After Kelly finished writing, she took the menus, and folded them underneath her arm. 

“Okay, your order should be out soon.” the waitress said with a warm smile before walking away. 

Michael looked across the table at Gavin. “Sweet tea? Since when were you into that southern stuff?” 

Gavin snickered. “Griffon makes it all the time. It’s deluxe.” 

“Aren’t you like a tea guru?” Michael asked with a smirk. “I mean, you’re from the land of tea. I thought you wouldn’t like the American imposter stuff.”

Gavin laughed. “Normally, but I can make an exception.” 

Kelly came back shortly with the two ice cold drinks in her hand. She sat the cola in front of Michael, and the tea in front of Gavin, before leaving again. 

“What’s the countdown at, now?” Michael asked, taking a small sip and locking his gaze with Gavin’s. 

“Countdown?” Gavin repeated, confused. 

“To when you leave.” 

Gavin exhaled sharply, feeling his eyes fall downwards and break away from Michael’s. “It doesn’t matter.” 

“I’m pretty sure it does matter.” Michael said bitterly. “How many days?” 

Gavin sighed, frustrated with himself. “Twelve days.” he said, reluctantly. “A little less than two weeks.” 

Michael nodded, feeling his heart leap into his throat. The day he would have to hug Gavin for the last time was creeping closer at an alarming rate. He tried not to think about it, but had to admit that’s all that kept him up at night. 

Michael felt a smirk run onto his face. “I don’t know how you’re gonna live without me. Who drives your sorry ass all over town?”

Gavin chuckled, taking a small sip of his tea, condensation forming on the outside of the glass. “I might have to check in to getting my license this year.” 

Michael grinned. “Or you can take me to England.” 

Gavin’s face instantly grew brighter. He felt his mind begin to spin, thinking of the possibilities that could erupt if Michael ever visited England. It was too good to ever be true, he concluded, but it was fun to imagine. “That’d be so _top_.” Gavin exclaimed. “I could show you everything. Michael, you should come during Christmastime!” 

Michael smiled, glad to see Gavin excited. “I doubt my parents would let me fly over an ocean when I could be spending precious time with them.” 

Gavin’s eyes drooped. “Only for a little bit. Please, Michael? Could you please look into it?” He was very proud of himself for thinking of the idea. 

“Where am I gonna get the money?” Michael asked, flickering his eyes upwards to meet Gavin’s round gaze. “Plane tickets are fucking ridiculous.” 

“Just don’t forget about it, okay?” Gavin pleaded. 

Michael nodded, his glance softening. “I won’t, Gav.” he said gently, letting his fingers trace Gavin’s hands that were placed folded over on the table. “I promise I won’t.”   
Gavin nodded, his gaze falling. “Okay.” he breathed, feeling a sudden increase of pressure on his chest. “Okay.” 

Michael watched Gavin’s eyes: hollowed and green. They sat in silence for a few moments, before Gavin looked back up to regain the connection between his and Michael’s eyes.   
“You’re lovely.” 

Michael smiled widely, repeating in his mind the way Gavin pronounced the word lovely. He often times found himself falling in love with Gavin’s accent, and the way his words seemed to decorate the silence.

“You’re lovelier.” Michael murmured, feeling his stomach rise with excitement. He’d known Gavin for two months now, and he still managed to give Michael butterflies every now and then. 

Gavin barely had any time to reply before plates containing a mouth-watering aroma of beef were set in front of them. Kelly also carried a pitcher of tea, which she used to fill Gavin’s beverage that was now slightly less than halfway full. 

“If you need anything else, let me know.” Kelly said brightly, small bits of hair beginning to fall in front of her face. 

“Thanks.” Michael said softly. Kelly nodded in appreciation and turned, walking away to tend to more customers. 

Michael took his cold glass in his hand. “Cheers, Gav.” he said with a smirk, holding it up above the table. Gavin grinned, picking up his newly replenished sweet tea and holding it close to Michael’s hand.

“To what?” Gavin asked before clinking their glasses.

“To us, and to lifeguards everywhere.” Michael replied with a snicker. 

Gavin nodded, clashing his glass with Michael’s, and pulling it to his lips to take a cold drink. 

“To us.” Gavin repeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a bit of time, sorry :>


	17. Chapter 17

“Goal!” Gavin shouted as he kicked the soccer ball past Ray and into the goal behind him. Ray met the ground in the process, rolling over onto his back, and laughing. Michael watched from behind Gavin, throwing his hands in the hair and shouting in triumph. 

Michael high-fived Gavin. “That was nice, Gav.” he said, feeling the sweat begin to trickle down the sides of his face. 

“I thought hispanics were supposed to be good at soccer?” Gavin teased, turning his head to look at Ray, who was still lying face-up on the ground. 

“You play, don’t you?” Ray asked, sitting upright underneath the goal. “Like, in England?” 

“I play _football_ in England.” Gavin corrected. 

“Shut the hell up,” Ray snickered, reaching behind him to grab the soccer ball. “You know what I mean.” 

Gavin smiled, “I’ve been playing for a few years now.” he explained, looking back at Michael whose eyes were lit to a sparkling copper in the sunlight. “I’ve scored some goals, won some trophies… but it’s only for fun. This will probably be my last year playing.” 

Ray nodded, twirling the soccer ball on the grass. “I always wanted to play, but I never got the time. Maybe one day.” 

Gavin laughed, brushing his hair back with his fingers. “Yeah. Maybe.” 

The boys continued to kick the soccer ball around a few more times, repeating the same cycle of Gavin scoring, Ray falling, and Michael thinking that he actually helped score. After the three of them were caked with sweat, and Ray’s knees were beginning to look bleak from all the skidding he experienced, the boys decided to go somewhere else. 

“Where to?” Michael asked, digging in his pocket for his car keys. Gavin opened the passenger side door, and Ray defeatedly walked to the back seat, where he was forced to sit whenever Michael and Gavin were together. 

Gavin shrugged, flashing a hot glance back at Ray. “Doesn’t matter to me. Where to, Ray?” 

“Wanna just go to Michael’s house?” Ray said, looking up at Gavin, whose hair was sticking up in ten different directions. 

“Sure,” Gavin agreed, looking back across at Michael, who was wiping his glasses with his shirt. Michael nodded, pushing his glasses back on his face, and flashed a glance at Gavin. 

Michael quickly pushed in his key and started the car, backing up out of their parking spot, and driving over the gravel lot to get back to the main road. “Sometimes I wish you fucks could drive for once.” 

“I’m actually thinking of going to get my permit this year.” Ray said. “I mean, I’m still sixteen, so I’m technically not that late.”

Michael snickered, adjusting his mirror to see behind him. “Yeah but you’ll be seventeen when driver’s ed starts, and you’ll be in there with a bunch of fourteen-year-old twats.” 

Ray laughed, pulling out his phone to check a recent notification. “Fuck you, Michael.” he said jokingly.

The drive to Michael’s house consisted of Ray demanding the AUX cord, Gavin playing British pop songs, and Michael yelling for someone to play a song that he knew. Michael was thankful when he turned into his driveway, just as Ray obtained the cord and plugged it into his phone. He groaned when he saw Michael’s house. 

“Alright coons,” Michael said, parking in the driveway and unbuckling his seat belt. He snapped the AUX cord from Ray’s hands, snickering. “Let’s go.” 

The boys exited Michael’s car, walking in a group to the front door that Michael discovered was unlocked. They walked inside, instantly relieved by the air conditioning cooling the sweat on their foreheads. Michael waved at his dad who was watching TV on the living room couch, before leading his friends up to his bedroom. 

Gavin pushed past Michael, collapsing on the bed. “Your bed is always so comfy, Michael,” Gavin pointed out, his voice muffled from the mattress over his mouth. He rolled over on his back, and Michael could see he was smiling. 

Michael snickered, pulling out his beanbag chair from the corner of his room and sitting down in it. His eyes darted towards a ball that was near his reach. Grabbing it, he threw it across the room at Gavin. “Is it though?” 

Gavin flinched with a squeal, quickly rolling over to grab the ball and throw it back at Michael.”Don’t throw things at me you bloody git!” 

Michael and Gavin continued to tease each other before suddenly stopping and looking over at Ray, who was watching silently. “You guys are cute.” he said lightly.

Michael and Gavin paused and looked at Ray with an unblinking stare. Gavin could feel a hot flash ripple up his spine and cause his cheeks to turn a light, rosy color. “What you on about?” 

Ray laughed, sitting down on Michael’s floor and pulling out his phone, nonchalantly. “You guys are cute together. I think you need a couple name.” 

“ _Couple name?_ ” Michael genuinely was curious, but tried to play off the “how dare you put me in a gay situation” type of reaction. 

“Yeah like a join-up of your names.” Ray explained, not bothering to look up from his Instagram feed. “Like Mavin.” 

Michael snickered, casting a sideways glance at Gavin who was lying face-up on the bed still. Gavin had a subtle grin plastered on his face. “Mavin,” he repeated, turning his head back so he could meet Michael’s stare. “I like it.” 

Ray looked up. “Oh, so you guys are fucking!” he joked, laughing as Michael turned his head to shoot a cold stare towards him. 

“Fuck off,” Michael said, his coldness melting to a warm smile. Ray could see there was more than met the eye between Michael and Gavin’s relationship just by the way Michael was smiling, but didn’t want to pry. He decided to leave it alone.

* * *

Ray had to leave at 5:00 that evening due to his mother wanting him home to help her cook a traditional hispanic meal for relatives that were visiting. “I don’t even fucking speak spanish,” Ray had grumbled as he left Michael’s room. His mom had driven to come pick him up because Ray couldn’t drive. 

Michael and Gavin were left by themselves, and Michael had moved himself on the bed to join Gavin. He curled up beside him, laying his head on Gavin’s chest and listening to his heartbeat. Michael said nothing for a few moments, and Gavin began to run his fingers up and down Michael’s spine. 

“Don’t leave.” Michael whispered, tightening his arms around Gavin’s sides. “Please don’t leave me.” 

Gavin sighed, continuing to rub Michael’s back mindlessly. “I have to, Michael. I’m sorry.” 

The light in the room darkened as clouds moved to block the sun’s rays. Michael felt chills as Gavin’s nails brushed the tender skin of his back. He shivered, wrapping his legs around Gavin’s. “I know but I want you here.” 

“I wish I could stay too.” Gavin murmured, lifting up his other hand and running his fingers through Michael’s auburn hair. “It’d be so cool to go to school with you and Ray.” 

“Do you think we can do it?” Michael asked, counting the times Gavin’s chest rose and fall with his breaths. 

“Of course we can.” Gavin answered. “I can fly back for Christmas for maybe a week if you can’t, and then as soon as my school lets out I’m coming straight here.”

“Okay,” Michael breathed, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over him. “Please do.” 

“I will.” Gavin said. “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, sorry this chapter is short and very very late. I went to New York for christmas vacation and have had exams so I've been pretty busy!! also I was tired of this setting so why not end the chapter, haha


	18. Chapter 18

Michael sat on Gavin’s bed, darting his eyes back and forth as Gavin cleaned the drawers of his clothes. He kept them folded, and laid them gently in his suitcase, which was resting beside Michael. Today was the day that Michael feared the most: August 22nd. The day that Gavin flew back to England and away from the town of Austin, Texas. 

From the minute Michael woke up in the morning, and noticed the gray and dreary sky outside, he had felt a certain emptiness that was hard to explain. He knew he would have to hug, kiss, and feel Gavin one last time before watching him disappear past the gates to the open world outside. He didn’t want to think about it, but it was the thing that couldn’t stop crossing his mind. 

Michael watched as the room around him slowly got emptier. Gavin took his colognes off the drawer, and little miscellaneous figurines off of shelves. Michael saw Gavin fold up his swim trunks, the bright colors familiar to him from their days as lifeguards. He snickered, remembering the first day that Gavin had shown up. Michael remembered telling him how things worked, and how to enforce your authority as a teenage boy around the pool grounds. Gavin looked so innocent and prep-ish that Michael was a little nervous about getting close to him. 

Michael blinked, wiping away the bright midsummer memories and replacing them with the depressing scene of Gavin packing away his belongings. “What time does your flight leave?” Michael murmured, watching Gavin head to the bathroom to collect his cosmetic supplies. 

“My flight out of Austin leaves at 4:15.” Gavin replied, his arms full of lotion, shampoo, and shaving cream bottles. Michael watched him pack them away inside of small plastic bags, his heart dropping as time ticked closer to the eventual departure date. The time currently was 12:05. One hour until they left to the airport. 

“I’m sorry, Michael.” Gavin said, his voice lacking any emotion but sorrow. He turned his back to head back into the bathroom, and Michael heard the noises of Gavin taking his toothbrush out of the cabinet. Michael kept quiet, and only watched Gavin move around the room as he packed. 

There were barely any words as Gavin finished packing his suitcases, and stood in the center of the room to take a look around the now empty space. “Looks weird now, doesn’t it?” Gavin said with a silly smirk, looking back at Michael. He bent down and gave Michael a kiss on his forehead. 

Michael grinned slightly, looking up at Gavin as he brought his head away. “Yeah,” he agreed, reaching for the Brit’s hand. He gently held it. “It is weird.” 

Gavin sighed, sitting down beside Michael. He intertwined his fingers with Michael,’s and gently planted a kiss on his cheek. “Cheer up,” he whispered, keeping eye contact with Michael as he looked directly at him. 

“I’m trying,” he murmured. He focused on the light in Gavin’s eyes, and couldn’t help but feel warmer. “We’ll make it.” 

Gavin smiled wider, tightening his grip on Michael’s hand. “We will, I know it.” he reassured. “The sooner I leave, the sooner I come back, remember?” 

“Yeah,” Michael agreed, his lips softly curling upwards in a gentle smirk. “I know.” 

Michael and Gavin sat in each other’s silence for the next ten minutes before Geoff called down the hall saying that they were leaving in five. Michael felt his chest burn as he thought about returning home from the airport without Gavin. He had lived seventeen years without Gavin, but didn’t understand how. 

“Let’s get going,” Gavin murmured, kissing Michael’s cheek one last time before standing up and carrying a bookbag and a suitcase out of the room. Michael followed, towing behind him another suitcase and bag. 

Michael followed Gavin to Geoff’s car, and piled the bags in the back. Gavin went back into the house one last time to retrieve his carry-on bag, and take one last look at his summer home. He inhaled the crisp summer air as a chilling breeze ran across his skin and ruffled his hair. “It’s been good,” he thought aloud, catching Geoff’s attention, who was closing the back of the car. 

Griffon stood by the car. She wasn't travelling to the airport, and agreed to say her goodbyes to Gavin at the house. Michael watched from the other side of the driveway as Gavin approached her. 

The wind picked up slightly, carrying with it Griffon’s blonde hair. “Kind of a sad-looking day, isn’t it?” Gavin said with his usual toothy-grin. Griffon instantly wrapped her arms around the Brit, her head barely reaching the top of his shoulder. Michael felt his heart pound as he watched Griffon say her heart-wrenching goodbye. 

“Call me as soon as you land in Dallas,” Griffon said upon pulling away. “Promise me, okay?” 

Gavin smiled. “I promise.” he replied. Michael could see he was trying his best not to get choked up. 

Gavin smiled and gave Griffon one last hug goodbye. “Bye for now.” he said, and Griffon nodded. Gavin turned and flashed Michael a glance as he headed towards the back seat. Michael followed him in the other side. 

Geoff started up the Explorer. He set the radio to a considerable volume, and started out the driveway. Michael watched Gavin wipe the single tear underneath his eye before turning to face him. “This is it,” Gavin said with a fake-smile. Michael nodded. 

“It is.” he murmured. 

The ride to the airport was silent. Michael didn’t want to look beside him at Gavin. He didn’t want to see those green eyes full of light that made Michael not want to blink every time he was looking into them, for fear that he would go a second without being captured by them. He didn’t want to run his finger up and down Gavin’s hand as he held them like he usually did. He didn’t want to even _look_ at Gavin because he knew once Gavin left, it would feel like a lifetime before he saw his face again. 

Michael zoned out until seeing the airport signs as Geoff drove closer into it’s grounds. He looked out the window and saw people towing suitcases behind them, underneath a dreary gray sky. He held his breath as he felt the car get slower, and slower, before it was stopped at the curb of the airport. 

Michael let out a sharp exhale, and opened his door to the humid air outside, that was likely to give way to a summer storm. 

Michael helped Geoff unload Gavin’s luggage from the trunk, and set it neatly on the curb for a roadside luggage checker to tag. Geoff offered to pay the baggage fees, which Gavin tried to object to, but Geoff threatened that he’d beat him up if he refused. Gavin’s bags were soon led away, only to be seen again under a London sky. 

“This is it,” Geoff said, sighing and turning to Michael and Gavin standing side-by-side. Michael felt tremors run through his body. Gavin quickly gave Geoff a deep hug, closing his eyes and trying not to explode into a ball of tears. 

“I’m gonna miss you, bud.” Geoff said as Gavin pulled away. Michael could see Gavin was a wreck underneath his skin, and as soon as Geoff drove away, was going to cry like a baby. 

“Come over anytime you get a chance.” Geoff added, stuffing his hands in his pockets as Gavin nodded. “Now say goodbye to this guy. I’ll be in the car.”

Geoff turned to go back inside of his vehicle, leaving Gavin and Michael alone on the roadside curb. The wind tugged at their hair and shirts. 

“Michael,” Gavin whispered, clashing into Michael and wrapping his arms tightly around his back. Michael let the tears run from the corners of his eyes. He hated crying, but he couldn’t help it. The love of his life was about to leave for ten months, or maybe more. He didn’t know what to do. 

Michael buried his face into Gavin’s shoulder, taking his last breaths filled with Gavin’s cologne. He blurred out the sounds of the airport and cars around him to leave his mind filled with Gavin, and Gavin alone. 

“Don’t leave, don’t leave, don’t leave,” Michael repeated over and over again, hoping that somehow it would make Gavin stay. 

“Shh,” Gavin hushed gently, pulling back to see Michael’s brown eyes wet with tears. He wiped them away from under his eyes, and smiled. “You’re strong, Michael. You’ll be okay.” 

Michael nodded, feeling embarrassed for crying. He returned into Gavin’s warm embrace for another moment or two, before Gavin pulled away again. “I’m sorry. I’m keeping you from leaving.” 

“You’re fine.” Gavin murmured, kissing the top of Michael’s head. “But I have to go now.” 

Michael nodded. The moment he had feared all summer was happening right now, and there was nothing he could do about it. “Okay,” he managed to say, sorrow choking back all other words from exiting his mouth. 

Gavin kissed Michael. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, or a deep one, but a sad one. A kiss that tasted of salt and sorrow. A kiss that was due to be broken up unwillingly.

“Goodbye, Michael.” Gavin said, finally pulling away from any touch that belonged to Michael. 

“I love you.” 

Michael felt like breaking down and crying, but remained standing as Gavin said those three words. “I love you more.” Michael said in a voice as soft as a whisper. Gavin smirked, wiping away his own tears from his eyes. 

“I love you so much, Michael.” Gavin repeated. 

Michael began to step backwards to the car as Gavin watched him. “I love you, you dumb bastard.” Michael said with a laugh. “Now go. Call me when you land.” 

“Okay,” Gavin snickered, turning. “Goodbye, my lovely little Michael."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(


	19. Chapter 19

The final days of summer inched along slower than Michael could ever imagine. It rained almost every afternoon, and Michael didn’t like leaving his room for anything except food. Gavin called as much as he could in the evenings, and the thing Michael looked forward to the most everyday was hearing the soothing accent of Gavin’s voice. 

On the last day before school started, Michael found himself at Ray’s house. They were sitting on the floor, legs sprawled out, and humid air causing sweat to accumulate on their temples. Ray was rolling a soccer ball on the floor until it rolled out of his reach, and he was too lazy to get it. 

“So Gavin left?” Ray asked, sitting up a bit from leaning on the side of his bed. “How long ago?” 

“Last Friday.” Michael answered, running his fingers through his hair. 

Ray cast his glance downwards. “Oh.” he said, looking back up to read the expression on Michael’s face. “You good, man?” 

“Yeah.” Michael murmured. “I’m good. I’m ready for school.” 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.” Ray said with a smirk. “But it’s our last year.” 

“So it is,” Michael agreed, his eyes lightening up a bit. “To be honest, I’m kind of excited.” 

“Really?” Ray questioned, leaning forward to roll the soccer ball back to his grasp. “Why?” 

“It’s senior year, man!” Michael chuckled, prodding Ray in the shoulder. “We’re basically free by this point.” 

“At least you can drive.” Ray grumbled. 

“You could if you tried hard enough.” Michael replied, smirking. 

Ray rolled his eyes playfully, and stood, grabbing the soccer ball as he did so. “Come on, let’s go outside.” he urged, grabbing Michael’s hand and helping him to his feet. 

The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky a fiery orange. Upon walking outside, Michael inhaled a deep breath of summer air, and somberly stared at the setting sky. It was the final sunset of summer, and Michael was saddened by this. Part of him was excited to go to school and start his senior year, but another part wanted to hold on to the summer forever. 

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Ray murmured, dropping the soccer ball to the ground and putting his foot on top of it. 

“Yeah.” Michael agreed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “It is.” 

Ray smiled, jogging a bit forward with the ball and kicking it backwards to Michael. The two played around a bit before Ray left back to his home, and Michael retreated inside of his room.

* * *

Michael’s alarm clock buzzed at 6:00 AM, causing a great amount of stress and displeasure arising in his chest. He managed to turn it off with a few hits, but didn’t leave the safety of his bed just yet. It was dark, and it still seemed like the world should be sleeping. Michael told himself he was ready to go back to school, but he knew that the mornings would just keep getting harder and harder. 

Michael slid out of bed after a few moments of thinking to himself. He ran his fingers through his russet hair, and gave off a loud yawn. He refused to turn on the lights just yet, and struggled to make his way to the bathroom just down the hall. 

Michael used the bathroom, and brushed his teeth, examining his face in the mirror. He had a few blemishes on his chin and forehead, but his freckles were darker than ever. His eyes were dreary and his lips pursed as they usually were. Michael narrowed his glance, and exited the bathroom back to his dark room. 

“Fuck,” Michael murmured, searching through his closet for a shirt to wear to school. He didn’t have a chance to go back to school shopping, which weren’t the best circumstances, but he tried his best to make do with what he had. He picked out a pale blue shirt with palm trees on the front and khaki shorts, and decided it looked good enough to wear on his last-first day of school.

Michael grabbed his bookbag from it’s position it had been since the last day of junior year: at the foot of his bed. He slid on flip-flops, and ran his fingers through his hair one last time before leaving his room at 6:45. 

Michael’s phone buzzed when he walked downstairs, and he looked down to find a text from Gavin. 

_6:46 AM / Gav: Have a good first day of school you dumb butt_

Michael laughed to himself, grabbing a granola bar he had set out on the countertop for his breakfast. Nobody in his family was awake yet, not even the dog, and the world outside was still as dark as it was during the night. The only light was Michael’s face, illuminated by his phone screen.

_6:47 AM / Michael: I will, idiot <3 _

Michael stuffed his phone in his back pocket and walked outside the front door, locking it behind him. He held his keys in his hand as he walked down the front sidewalk to his car, unlocking it and sliding inside. The air outside was room-temperature and quite pleasant, which bothered Michael that he would have to spend such a good day inside a classroom listening to teachers explain themselves over and over again. 

The drive to school was about fifteen minutes, and Michael arrived at 7:04. Kids were outside, chatting around the flagpole and sitting on the bricks that held soil in place for a couple small trees.

The sky was starting to lighten up as Michael exited his car. The older kids that Michael knew were sitting around cars, smoking joints or talking about their summers. In the mornings before the bell at 7:10, Michael would sit with his friends by Kerry’s car. Him, Ray, Barbara, Caleb, Arryn, and Miles. Michael decided not to go today, and instead walked towards the school. The bell was ringing in a matter of minutes anyways.

The school was crowded, as usual. Everyone was dressed in shorts and short-sleeved t-shirts, showing off their summer tans. There were new faces Michael had never seen before, who he assumed were freshmen, carrying around heavy backpacks full of school supplies. 

On his way to his homeroom class, Michael spotted Lindsay talking to another girl against the lockers. She looked a lot different than her sunburnt look at the pool. Her red hair was curled, and she was wearing makeup and red lipstick. She was wearing a blue sundress and sandals, and Michael thought she looked very nice. He thought of going up to talk to her, since he somewhat dropped her over the summer once he started to talk to Gavin. He promised to take her on another date, but never did. 

Michael mustered up the courage and walked over to the lockers were Lindsay was leaning up against. She flashed him a glance, and whispered something to her friend, who then quickly walked away. Michael took a deep breath. He knew Lindsay was upset for him ditching her so quickly, but he was just too scared to say anything to her. Talking to her in person would be the best way to go about a situation like this. 

“Hey, Lindsay.” Michael murmured, catching her eye. Lindsay smiled. 

“Hi, Michael.” she said. 

“I’m sorr-” 

“No,” Lindsay interrupted. She put a finger on Michael’s lips to hush him. “No need to be sorry. There wasn’t a spark, it’s okay. I still enjoyed my time out with you, and I know you found more in Gavin than you ever will with me.” 

Michael widened his glance. “Wait, how do you-” 

Lindsay smiled, hushing him again. “Don’t worry about it. It’s cool, Michael.”

Michael grinned. “Thanks, Lindsay.” he thanked, watching her run her fingers through her red, curled hair. 

Before the two could say anything else, the bell rang. Lindsay adjusted her bookbag on her shoulders, and waved to Michael. “Good luck on your first day,” she added, brushing past him. Michael nodded to her as she walked by, overall happy with how the conversation turned out. 

Michael walked the halls, eventually finding his homeroom class which was assigned alphabetically with your schedule in the mail. Once inside the class, he spotted Ashley Jenkins, a old school friend, talking with Ryan Haywood, one of the lifeguards who worked the shift before him. Michael decided he should socialize, and walked over to sit in a vacant desk beside them. 

“Hey, Michael!” Ashley greeted. Ashley had been in Michael’s various classes since primary school. She had been dating a guy named Burnie since her freshman year, who was a year older than her and had graduated the previous year. Ashley never looked sleepy or bored, and was always perky and full of life. 

“Good morning, Ashley.” Michael greeted, setting his bookbag on the floor and reclining in his chair. He pulled out his phone, and texted Gavin.

_7:16 AM / Michael: I miss you_

_7:17 AM / Gav: I miss you more_

Michael sighed, resting his hand on his cheek, and was unable to retain focus for the rest of the morning, with only the thoughts of Gavin in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter probably sucks, since it's been a work in progress for a month


	20. Chapter 20

The days meshed together as the year pressed on into colder and crisper weather. Michael went about his day with half of his heart missing, and a feeling of emptiness swishing about his chest. His heart hurt when he saw couples, he barely had chances to have full-time calls with Gavin, and he became a pro at faking smiles. The only person he had managed to confide in was Geoff, who became like a second father to him, and would be there to hug him and tell him that things were going to be okay.

Michael had held on to the hope that Gavin would return for Christmas, but a part of him knew that it wasn’t going to happen. His thoughts were confirmed one miserable afternoon in November, as Michael lie in his bed surrounded by blankets and sheets, with Lenny on his bedroom floor. 

_5:06 PM / Michael: So any word on Christmas yet?_

Michael felt his stomach twist as he watched the icon signaling Gavin typing a response bounce up and down. 

_5:07 PM / Gav: Sorry, parents said no. I really wanted to though._

Michael bit his lip, feeling his eyes sting as the longingness for Gavin to come back to him ebbed away at his heart. 

_5:08 PM / Michael: I figured. I miss you._

_5:08 PM / Gav: I miss you too. Every day is another day closer._

Michael locked his phone as his eyes ached for sleep. He had been putting in an effort to do good in school for his final year. He had been passing his math quizzes, taking vivid notes for English, and had taken charge of all of his physics projects. He had become numb to the overworking of a student, and often didn’t realize his body’s desire for sleep until the most somber of moments. 

Without replying to Gavin, Michael slipped into an unconscious sleep.

* * *

Gavin stared at his phone. 

Gavin stared at his most recent reply, and the _“read at 10:08 PM”_ words that hung underneath. Thoughts of defeat and disappointment lingered in his mind as he watched for a reply for another ten minutes. His room was dimly lit with a single lamp, and his TV was murmuring inaudible words on a low volume. With a sharp sigh, Gavin tossed his phone to the side, and laid down on his bed. 

A steady downpour of rain hit against the side of his house. A streetlamp outside illuminated silver droplets that fell down the glass, or meshed with others, before eventually falling out of sight. The pitter-patter of rain hummed against his roof, creating a gentle lullaby that was comforting enough to fall asleep to. 

Gavin turned his head as his cat leaped onto the bed beside him. The cat’s name was Lloyd, and Lloyd barely had enough strength to leap onto the bed. Lloyd was very plump, but very lovable, and Gavin felt a certain ease when he pet his cat. 

Gavin turned to his side, smiling as Lloyd curled up near his feet. He closed his eyes, remembering what it was like to hold Michael in his tight embrace. He tried to remember Michael’s cute laugh, or how it felt to run his fingers through his russet curls. He thought about his smooth voice, and his freckles that dotted along his cheeks. 

Gavin fell asleep to the thought of Michael, which was the only thing that led him to sleep for most nights.

* * *

From Thanksgiving to Christmas, the days flew by. The first semester exams were beginning to come around, and most teachers were in a frenzy to complete their lessons. Michael was overwhelmed with English papers and economic packets, and he grouped together with his friends to create study groups as often as possible. 

The first semester exams started in December. Once the exams were over, it was five day stretch until Christmas break, which Michael was counting down. 

“I’m going to kill myself,” Ray mumbled on the morning of his and Michael’s economics exam. It was December 11th, and Michael was running on low sleep. The sky outside was gray, and the morning was briskly cold. Michael had felt as if the sky matched how he was feeling on the inside. 

“We’ll do fine,” Michael reassured. He tinkered with the brass ring on his figure that Gavin had mailed him when he visited Scotland. “Are you really that nervous?”

Ray shrugged. The classroom was cold, and Ray was wearing his signature _‘Twitch TV’_ hoodie he had ordered. Michael knew Ray wanted to be a famous livestreamer, but for now, he just watched the professionals. “I”m gonna wing it nonetheless.” Ray said with a smirk. 

Michael snickered, looking at the unfamiliar teacher who was at the front of the class. He wished that his economics teacher would be the one giving the exam. Instead, it was one of the Spanish teachers he had seen around school before; a short middle-aged man by the name of Mr. Franks. 

The clock slowly turned to 8:00 AM. Mr. Franks then promptly began to read from the test booklet. He went through the “no cell-phone policy”, and encouraged everyone to turn in their cellular devices at the front of the class. From there, he told the class what was to be expected, and handed out the various materials. 

At 8:29, after all materials and information had been passed out and read, Michael gave a sideways glance to Ray. He mouthed “good luck”, and Ray rolled his eyes in return. The classroom seemed to be blanker and whiter than ever before. Michael was unnerved by the strange plainness. 

When Mr. Franks gave the “you may begin”, Michael hurried to complete the exam to give himself time to nap. 

Michael took about an hour and a half answering the questions, and guessed on about half of them. When he noticed that he was the third person to finish the test afterwards, Michael put his test materials at the corner of his desk and laid his head down to fall asleep. 

Michael had quickly dozed off, and it had felt like he had only been napping for ten minutes before Mr. Franks had woken him up. “You have completed the State of Texas TX economics final exam,” he said in a loud voice, causing Michael to quickly pick his head up. He noticed everyone in the class stretch and immediately start to talk to their friends beside them about the test, even though it was not allowed. 

“How did you feel about that?” Michael said to Ray with a smile, fighting over a yawn as Mr. Franks went down the aisles to collect test booklets.

Ray widened his eyes. “It was uh… okay.” he replied. “Not my best subject to say the least.” 

Michael chuckled. “That’s what you say about every subject.” 

“True, true,” Ray replied.

After the exam, students were allowed to leave school. Michael left with Ray, and grimaced as he opened the doors into the cold air outside. A bitter wind immediately blew against his face, ruffling his hair, and reddening his cheeks. Michael quickened his pace with Ray at his side, and was in a hurry to find his car in the parking lot. He fumbled with his bookbag as he tossed it in the backseat, and slid into the driver’s seat. Michael wasted no time turning on the heat and revving his engine in preparation to leave. 

Ray took out his phone, but seemed unimpressed, and let it fall back into his lap. “Where to?” he asked Michael, adjusting his glasses. “The day feels like ass.” 

Michael raised his eyebrows as he put his car into reverse. “It feels like ass?” he asked as he turned around to back up. “What does ass feel like?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Ray murmured. “But you should.”

Michael was silent as he focused on backing up, and then putting his car back into drive and exiting the parking lot. “Do you get it?” Ray piped up, a grin on his face. “Like, gay stuff?”

“I get it,” Michael stated plainly. “I forgot to laugh.”

Ray giggled and picked back up his phone. Michael decided just to drive back to his own home. He didn’t get a chance to text Gavin that morning. He knew Gavin was probably busy, like he always was, conditioning for soccer or doing schoolwork. He feared that Gavin would become too busy for him. 

“Why are you so quiet?” Ray asked with a tilt of his head. “It’s not like you, man.”

“I’m fine,” Michael replied as he turned into his driveway. The trees that had loomed over the driveway in the summertime were now bare and drooping. The summer fantasy he had spent with Gavin had disappeared and faded into a cold and sad wasteland, and Michael was reminded of it everyday. 

Michael parked, and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Ray pressed again. Michael quickly darted his eyes over to meet his friend’s concerned gaze. 

“Yeah,” Michael lied as his chest ached with longingness for a sense of comfort of someone who understood him. “I’m fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lllllllet's write


	21. Chapter 21

Michael breathed out a fresh sigh of relief into the crisp, nearing-winter air as the final school bell rang for the day - signaling the beginning of winter vacation. The last days of school were utterly pointless, and Michael spent most of them cutting-up with Ray or finding some way to pass time. What really mattered to him, however, is that senior year was half over, and he was another day closer to holding Gavin in his arms again. 

_2:58 PM / Michael: I’m out!!!_

Michael decided to express his excitement to Gavin. It was nearing 9 PM for the Brit, and Michael knew that he only got a few more hours to talk before Gavin drifted off to sleep. Long distance relationships were hard, but time difference relationships were even harder. 

_2:59 PM / Gav: Yay! I’m happy for you Michael._

Michael grinned at the text from his boy before stuffing his phone in his pocket. It was too cold outside to focus, and Michael stashed his hands in his pockets as he continued walking towards his car. He was relieved to be leaving the school grounds for a solid two weeks. At this point in his life, high school was now the biggest joke, and Michael couldn’t wait for graduation. 

The drive back to Michael’s home was quiet. The sky was an overcast, gray color, which matched the bitter air outside. It was a dull looking day, one of those days where all Michael wanted to do was curl up underneath a stash of blankets and watch _Always Sunny_ reruns on the TV. Of course, it would be ideal to have the warm body of Gavin nuzzled underneath the crook of his neck, but not everything could be that perfect. 

It had been almost four months since Michael had felt Gavin pressed against him. He caught himself frequently thinking about the body of the British boy, and how it felt when it moved against his own. Michael would spend hours searching for the feeling that erupted in his gut whenever his lips would clash against Gavin’s. He thought it would be impossible for Gavin to consume his thoughts any more, but he was wrong. The desire for more of Gavin was burning stronger every day. 

Upon arriving home, Michael quickly gathered his bookbag and swiftly made his way into his home to get out of the brisk December air. Mrs. Jones had already set up the Christmas decorations around the home, complete with a large, beautiful green and red wreath hanging outside the door. Inside the house, small knick-knacks and ornaments were placed around the house, and Christmas lights twirled up the staircase. The Christmas tree, Michael’s favorite decoration, stood elegantly in the living area, it lights shining and the ornaments glittering. 

Michael shut the door behind him and was surprised to see his mother approaching him from the kitchen with a box in her hands, his father close behind. Michael had barely any time to question the gesture before his mother was placing the box in her son’s open hands, a smile plastered on her face.   
“What’s this?” Michael questioned, searching for an answer in his mother’s eyes. 

“Just open it.” Mrs. Jones answered with a wink, flashing a glance backward at her husband. 

Michael was almost intimidated to open it. His mother hadn’t looked this happy in months towards him, and he was a bit worried, to say the least. The box could contain anthrax or something else hazardous. He never could predict what his mother was up to. 

Slowly, Michael wrapped his fingers around the top of the box and pulled it off. At first, Michael was confused at its contents. It looked like pieces of paper freshly printed from his mom’s office printer. Upon closer examination, however, Michael could hardly believe what was in his possession. 

Two plane tickets. Two fucking plane tickets to London - one going, and one coming back. 

“Are- Wait- Are you serious?” Michael exclaimed with his mouth agape, instantly looking up to meet his mother’s gaze. “Like, is this a joke? Are you serious?”

“Yes!” Mrs. Jones chirped. “A little birdy told us you wanted to see Gavin over Christmas break.” 

_Ray?_ Michael knew that Ray was the only person in his life that he had confided in about Gavin, and how desperately he wanted to see him over the break. He never would have guessed that Ray would end up telling his parents. 

“Oh my God,” Michael breathed, unable to contain the excitement from burning in his heart. “You don’t have to get me any Christmas presents this year. Oh my God, thank you so much, I love you-” 

Mrs. Jones laughed, cutting off her son’s babbling with a hug. “Now go get packed, you’re leaving tomorrow so you can be back before Christmas day. Grandma invited us all to her house in Tucson.” 

Michael nodded, unable to find words to speak with. He dashed upstairs, almost tripping over his own feet, and collided with his bed. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he noticed a text from Ray. 

_3:34 PM / Ray: Merry Christmas._

Michael could almost cry. 

_3:39 PM / Michael: Holy shit Ray… I owe you so much for this_

As Michael’s fingers trailed to send the text to Gavin that he was coming, he stopped himself. Why ruin the surprise? Michael would surprise Gavin, texting him that he was at the airport, and make it the best Christmas ever. Less than 24 hours until he’s in my arms again. Smiling to himself, Michael rolled off of his bed and started to back his belongings into his suitcase.

* * *

Gavin smiled as he made the finishing touch to his room. He stood back, admiring his ‘accent wall’. He had hung white lights around the corners of the back wall of his room and pinned pictures from his summer in Austin among them. His particularly favorite picture was one that Michael took with Gavin next to him early in the summer before the two even confessed their feelings for each other. Gavin had made a bird noise exactly two seconds before the picture was taken, the two were captured in a photo of blurry laughter and genuine smiles. 

Gavin sat on his bed, his heart fluttering as he thought about the summer. He missed the warmth of the air and the blue that painted the Austin sky. Most of all, he missed his boy. He missed trying to kiss all the freckles on Michael’s cheeks, and he missed laughing at his messy hair. He would do anything to go back, even to the time before he was in love with Michael, just to see his sun-kissed face again. His loneliness literally was eating him away. 

Gavin was brought back to reality as Lloyd gave a short mew from the foot of his bed and trotted over to roll next to Gavin’s arm. He smiled as Lloyd purred, scratching behind the cat’s ears and relaxing to the soft drone of the purr. Pulling out his phone, he decided to send Michael a goodnight message before he nodded off to sleep. 

_11:03 PM / Gav: goodnight my lovely little Michael <3 another day down!_

With a soft smile, Gavin closed his eyes, praying for Michael to appear in his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise bitch, bet you'd thought you'd seen the last of me


	22. Chapter 22

“Now, Michael, are you _sure_ Gavin’s family said it was alright?” 

Michael rolled his eyes as his mother continued to pester him about his sudden trip to England. His mother had purchased the ticket in hopes that Michael would alert Gavin’s family and be allowed to stay with them until his departure. Michael, however, had other plans, and did not tell Gavin he was coming in order to surprise him. To keep his mother’s sanity, Michael had stressed to her that Gavin’s folks said it was alright. Deep down, Michael knew that Gavin’s parents wouldn’t _deny_ him. Gavin had told Michael that his parents knew about their romantic relationship, which was something Michael’s parents weren’t aware of.

“Yes, ma,” Michael said for the fifteenth time, zipping up his carry-on bag and lugging it over his shoulders. His suitcase had been packed the night before, and in record time, due to the freckle-faced boy’s pure excitement. It was five in the morning, and Michael’s first flight left in two hours. He had already been texting Gavin, but hinted nothing at his impending arrival later on that day. 

“Alright, your father is already in the car,” Mrs. Jones said, her eyes beginning to dampen with tears. “I’m staying here, so give me a hug goodbye.” 

Michael grinned, pressing into his mother with a warm hug. His mother might’ve irritated him at times, but she had given him the best present he could have ever dreamed of - his Gavin. He couldn’t thank her enough. 

“Call me as soon as your plane lands,” Mrs. Jones pestered once more, wiping a tear out from under her eye.

“I will,” Michael promised, giving his mother one last quick hug before grabbing his suitcase and beginning to exit his home. The world outside was dark, and bitterly cold, a combination of two things that Michael disliked. Despite the weather, nothing could take the permanent smile off of Michael’s face. His mind constantly cycled around thoughts of Gavin, breathless kisses, tight hugs, starlit cuddles, and wine-drunk laughs. 

The entire summer replayed in Michael’s brain, condensed down to seconds, with an overriding feeling of bliss and teenage innocence. Gavin was his happiness and was like the summer to Michael - comforting, warm, and exciting. Gavin made Michael feel free, unstoppable, and driven to uncover more details about the peculiar British boy that completely turned his world upside down. And like the summer, when Gavin went away, Michael’s world went cold and dark. The days seemed to be hued with a grayish blue color. Living in a world without Gavin Free seemed pointless - meaningless, and Michael longed with every passing minute to be back in Gavin’s arms. 

Finally, he was going to. 

Michael’s hands were too shaky with excitement to buckle his seatbelt immediately, which uttered a laugh from Mr. Jones in the driver’s seat. “You alright there?” he said affectionately, backing out of the driveway of the Jones’s household and onto the barren street. 

Michael blinked, his thoughts dissipating away as he looked over to his father. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said, his eyes bright with excitement. “I’ve never been to Europe before.” 

“I’m sure you’ll love it,” Mr. Jones said with a reassuring grin, his eyes focused on the road in front of him, streetlight illuminating his glasses. His father’s words made Michael’s shoulders relax a little as he rested his head on the back of the chair, his eyes staring out onto the sleeping world around him. He gazed up at the moon looming overhead, casting its silvery light onto the darkened grass beneath it. Michael breathed out an enamored sigh, knowing that it was the same moon that Gavin slept under.

The ride to the airport was mostly quiet, with Michael’s father softly uttering a few words every now and then. It was almost as if the two respected the quiet stillness of the dark world around them and tried their best not to interrupt it’s blissful slumber. By the time the duo had reached the airport, the sun was beginning to make its first appearance over the horizon and casted a milky glow over the buildings of downtown Austin. 

Michael’s father drove under the departure awning, and Michael’s stomach suddenly lurched with anxiety. He hadn’t traveled anywhere without his parents and was suddenly quite nervous about somehow becoming lost. He wouldn’t dare admit it now, for fear of losing his one opportunity to rekindle the flame that burned in his heart for his Gavin Free. 

Michael opened the car door, grimacing against the brisk morning air as he dad wheeled his suitcase towards him. “Be safe,” his dad warned, pulling in his son for a tight hug. “Don’t forget to call your mother, for my sake.” 

“I won’t,” Michael promised with a smile. 

Mr. Jones nodded, stuffing his hands inside of his jacket pockets. “Now go, you don’t want to check in too late. I’ll see you in a week.” Michael nodded towards his dad’s comment, hugging him one more time and waving to him as he left to go back into his car. Michael felt the anxiety claw at his stomach even sharper as he watched his dad’s car drive away until it was no longer seen. 

Breathing in a nervous, but a yet confident breath, Michael strode through the sliding doors of the airport to begin the long process of checking in and tagging bags.   
Most of the attendants that worked the check-in desks and baggage kiosks wore a smiling face that seemed too sincere to be real. Michael tried his best to avoid them and do most of the check-ins himself. Most things were made to be self-service in this era anyway, much to Michael’s benefit. 

After a long process that involved a lot of printed papers, Michael managed to walk through security with his bags checked and tickets in hand - all done by himself. He small-talked with the TSA agents that ran his carry-on through the x-ray and politely asked an elderly airport employee where his terminal was located. All the human interaction made Michael strangely more confident in himself. 

Aboard the airport train system that carried passengers to faraway terminals, Michael sent a text to Gavin.

_6:08 AM / Michael: good morning! How’s my Gav doing today?_

Michael felt his heart flutter with the response. 

_6:09 AM / Gav: I’m great! How’s my lovely little Michael? I miss you so much, more and more everyday_

Michael typed back, almost falling over as the airport train came to a stop. 

_6:10 AM / Michael: I promise we’ll see each other soon_

Gathering his belongings, Michael exited the train into the international terminal, a soft tinge of blush warming his cheeks as images of Gavin’s glimmering hazel eyes danced in his brain.

* * *

Gavin felt a loopy smile come over his face as he read Michael’s text, picturing his calm and raspy voice speaking it to him in an enamored, loving coo. It was half past 11 AM for Gavin, and part of him was confused as to why Michael was awake so ridiculously early. He figured that Michael had just pulled an all-nighter playing video games, which was something the boy regularly did. Figuring Michael had fallen asleep after a slow fifteen minutes of no reply, Gavin tossed his phone down on his bed. 

Gavin had woken up about twenty minutes earlier. Normally, the Brit preferred waking up in the morning and fixing himself some buttered toast and eggs, but in the light of school being released for Christmas break, Gavin had taken that morning to sleep in a slight bit. His eyes were still groggy, and he could feel his hair sticking up at odd angles without having to glance at himself in the mirror. 

The previous day, a light dusting of snowfall had collected around the rural streets outside of Gavin’s home in Oxfordshire. It quietly enveloped the street lights, rooftops, and fence posts in a gentle caress of delicacy, continuing on throughout the night but ceasing in the morning. Gavin could see that the ground had a denser layer covering it that morning than the evening before. It was beautiful, nonetheless, and the sunlight cast a golden gleam overtop of the icy blanket. 

Gavin leaned over to the side of his bed, grabbing a picture frame that contained a photo that he and Michael had taken together the day before he left to return home. Michael was smiling, his freckled face looking tanned and sun-kissed from working an entire summer as a lifeguard. His russet curls were wind-blown, and his brown eyes were cast alight by the sun shining on him. Gavin felt his heart melt into a puddle into his body. He had forgotten the impact Michael’s smile had on him alone.

Michael’s smile was like Gavin’s own personal sun. Whenever he had the pleasure of seeing Michael smile, whether it be through photos or over video chat, a particular feeling in his stomach always arose. It was a warm sensation that seemed to spread over the area of Gavin’s entire body, warming him - making him feel weightless. He wanted nothing more than to see Michael’s smile in front of him - feel it through a soft kiss. Gavin wanted Michael more than anything in the world. 

Gavin gently sat the picture down on his bed. He quietly contemplated the past summer, and back to when Michael was just the intimidating, senior lifeguard that sat across from him on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He remembered his first day on the job, when the manager walked him over to introduce him to Michael. The Jersey boy had looked down at Gavin, his eyes unseeable through the dark shades, and had snickered. 

_“Hope you brought sunblock.”_

The first words Michael had spoken to Gavin were surprisingly toxic. From the first interaction, Gavin had decided upon himself that he would try and avoid Michael, and merely stand as his co-worker - nothing more. The freckle-faced kid seemed like he thought of himself as ‘in charge’ of the whole lifeguard situation, and that Gavin was no more than a scrawny replacement for his friend. It wasn’t until Michael started a conversation that Gavin began to realize how sincere of a guy he really was. 

Gavin remembered how Michael had offered to take him out to lunch and then showed him the best techniques for blowing a whistle. Though the first impression was a bit harsh, Michael had quickly shown Gavin what it meant to be a true friend. 

Gavin couldn’t exactly pinpoint when he had fallen in love with Michael. There were so many instances where he had felt his heart burst and his palms tingle when in the presence of him. It might’ve been when he had shared that moment with Michael, with the Fourth of July fireworks bursting overhead. It could’ve also been the time where Michael had fallen asleep in his bed, allowing the moonlight to tinge his russet curls and soft cheeks with a silvery glow. 

Gavin didn’t care when he fell in love with Michael, he just knew that had. He knew that Michael’s warm smile, contagious laugh, tight hugs, and soft kisses couldn’t be shared with anyone else. Michael made Gavin feel a certain way that he couldn’t describe with the simple English language. It was more complex, made up of a language of feelings, music, summertime, and thoughts too precious to be shared with the world. 

Michael was Gavin’s world, and Gavin didn’t ever want to leave it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're in love!!


	23. Chapter 23

Michael could hardly control the rapid movements of his fingers as the airplane taxied towards the gate for what felt like eons. He had finally touched down in _England_ , which was the country where Gavin resided who still had the slightest clue about Michael’s arrival. The freckle-faced boy had dreamily watched as the plane descended over the quaint towns and quiet looking streets into the sudden bustle of London Heathrow International Airport. It was four in the afternoon on a Saturday, and Michael knew that Gavin would most likely be Christmas shopping in the city, which was a perfect lineup for Michael’s agenda. 

Michael didn’t know why everything had fallen into place so perfectly, but he assumed that a higher power was involved and he didn’t really question why. He could barely contain his excitement, his palms sweating from the overwhelming urge to call Gavin immediately. 

As the airplane slowed to a stop, its inhabitants moved as a congregation upwards out of their seats to collect their overhead baggage and exit the cabin as quickly as possible. The older gentleman seated beside Michael was quick to stand, giving Michael more room to stretch his aching legs, for which he was grateful for.

After an agonizing ten minute wait for the aisles to clear, Michael grabbed his bookbag from the space underneath his seat and joined the seemingly endless line of people making their way towards the exit. Michael wasn’t sure if he was shaking due to the cold air that was definitely waiting outside or from the apprehension pulsing through his veins. 

Once inside the main hub of the terminal, Michael walked over a somewhat isolated corner, hearing more English accents than he had ever heard in his life. With shaky fingers, he dialed Gavin’s number and eagerly waited for a reply. 

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

“Michael? Where are you? You’re up early.” 

Michael grinned at the sound of concern that was hidden in Gavin’s tone. “Yeah, I kinda need your help. I’m sort of stranded in London, might helping me?” 

The grin on Michael’s face widened as he heard the initial shocked gasp on Gavin’s end of the line. “Are - _are you serious?_ ” Gavin breathed into the microphone, excitement raising the pitch in his tone. Michael could feel his stomach rising in his chest. 

“I am, and I would really appreciate it if you came and rescued me.” Michael cooed, the longing in his heart for Gavin to be with him suddenly climaxing. “I need a place to stay for a week.” 

“Michael! You can’t be serious! You’re here?” Gavin could barely pronounce all the syllables in his words without fumbling over his own excitement. It made Michael’s heart swell. 

“I’m here, Gav. Now hurry. Come give me kisses.” Michael could almost feel his eyes start to soften with tears as the love in his heart expanded with every second he came closer to falling into Gavin’s arms again. 

“I’m calling a cab right now. I’ll be there soon, my lovely little Michael!” Gavin replied, promptly hanging up the phone and leaving Michael with a wide grin plastered on his cheeks. The russet-haired boy stashed his phone back in his pocket and quickly strode away towards baggage claim, his limbs tingling from the apprehension of seeing Gavin’s face in front of him again. It had been so long - too long. Michael missed him with his whole heart. 

After a few steps, Michael quickly became another body in the crowd of holiday traffic, disappearing through murmuring voices and fast-moving bodies as he navigated the airport, blinded by the love swelling in his chest.

* * *

Gavin couldn’t believe it. 

The Brit had just been discussing the need to go holiday shopping just the day before and Michael had strangely encouraged him to go the next afternoon. Gavin didn’t know why Michael was so adamant about it, but he appreciated having someone make the decision for him nonetheless. He had thought nothing of the way Michael had disappeared without a goodnight text, figuring the boy had fallen asleep gaming like he usually did. Gavin could hardly contain himself. 

In fact, Gavin did not contain himself in the slightest. 

Upon hanging up the phone, the Brit had quickly stashed items he had originally planned to purchase on a random shelf in the shop, almost running headfirst into multiple shoppers as he hastily exited into the wintry air that hung outside. It had begun to snow at some point whilst Gavin was in the shop, and soft flakes were falling down in a whimsical manner, landing ethereally in the tufts of Gavin’s hair. 

Gavin raised his hand in the wintry sky, hailing a cab that was nearby within seconds. He opened the door, feeling his face flush with warmth as the heat of the cab comforted him like a soft hug. “Heathrow, please,” Gavin stated to the cab driver who gave a slight nod before driving off onto the English streets. 

Gavin couldn’t stop himself from fidgeting in the back of the taxi. He had folded his hands in his lap, but he could feel his fingers shaking from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. His head was spinning, and his heart was racing, and all the boy could do was blanky stare out of the cab window at the shops outside that were finely decorated with Christmas lights and wreaths. 

Christmastime in England was no-doubt a beautiful time. There was something about the combination of the stone streets, older-looking buildings, delicate snowfalls, and the dark green colors of wreaths and holly that made the holiday season special. The lamplights emitted a yellow hue into the air that was already colored with shades of gray and indigo from the usually overcast English sky. Snow collected on the holly and fir tree decorations that framed frosted windows decorated with spinning carousels and nutcrackers. It was almost unreal, and Gavin loved just strolling around and looking at Christmas decorations in the snow. 

The ride to the airport felt as if it had been going on for years, and by the time Gavin finally arrived, he practically threw the money at the driver’s face and left the backseat in the fastest set of movements he had ever done in his life. Gavin hurried towards the baggage claim area, pushing away person after person that just-so-happened to be in his way. He was so close - _so close_ \- to having Michael in his arms again. He could already hear the playful voice of the boy in his ears, calling him an idiot in such an endearing way that it made his heart swell with every syllable. He could smell the cinnamon scent that was always present in Michael’s home, and he could feel the steady breathing of the boy against his chest whenever he would hold him close. Gavin’s mind was having a sensory overload, and all he could do was smile wider. 

Gavin reached baggage claim, suddenly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people dressed in long coats and knit hats, talking mindlessly to one another as they waited for their bags. He heard a mix of English, French, and Italian all being spoken into one blur of sound. Gavin knew Michael was in the room, somewhere, waiting for his bag to roll through just like everyone else. Gavin couldn’t wait, however. He needed Michael now. 

Gavin began to search. He peered over the heads of those shorter than him, and around the heads of those taller than him in an effort to spot the familiar russet curls of his boy. It felt like a mesh of noises and feelings all swirling around him in a tsunami of emotion. Gavin thought that it might be a better idea to just sit and waited until the place cleared out. 

Suddenly, Gavin felt a tapping on his shoulder. 

Whipping his head around, Gavin felt his legs go weightless from the sight that stood before him. It was Michael, dressed in a creamy knit sweater and black jeans. He was smiling ear-to-ear, and Gavin couldn’t manage to cough up any words before wrapping his arms around the boy, pulling him into his chest and feeling his curls against his face. Gavin felt his eyes swell with tears when he felt Michael wrap his arms around him too, just like they had done four months earlier. 

“Michael, I can’t believe it’s you,” Gavin whispered. He didn’t want anyone else to hear his words. He was only speaking for Michael and no one else. This was their moment. 

“I missed you so much,” Michael responded, his voice muffled from his face being pressed against Gavin’s coat. “I can’t believe I’m here.” 

Gavin pulled away, holding Michael’s arms. He couldn’t stop the smile on his face as he looked into Michael’s eyes - the same deep brown eyes he had fallen in love with all those days ago, back with the sun was warmer and the days were longer. Michael’s freckles were less dense but still lightly splattered over his nose and cheeks that were reddened from blushing. Gavin breathed a sigh of admiration. “I love you, Michael,” he said softly, bringing the boy in for another hug. 

“I love you too, Gav,” Michael replied, hugging the Brit back just as tight. After a few more moments of tightly embracing each other, the two parted and Gavin put his hands on Michael’s cheeks, pulling him in for a kiss that contained all the passion he had been saving since he had left on the cloudy August afternoon. 

Upon pulling away, Michael giggled. “Let’s get out of this airport,” he said, clutching the handle of his suitcase that Gavin hadn’t even noticed he collected. “There are too many idiots in here.” 

“Deal,” Gavin said, enamored by Michael’s very existence. He grabbed Michael’s hand and led him out the doors of the airport and into the world outside where the snow had begun to fall a little more heavily than before.

Gavin watched Michael’s eyes widen as he watched the frosty flakes twinkle down from above. “Wow,” he said in an awe-inspired inhale, reaching out his hand to collect a few snowflakes in his palm. “I haven’t seen snow since I lived in New Jersey.”

Gavin watched Michael stare up into the clouded sky that seemed to have no end, watching the flakes float down from above one after another. They began to collect in his hair, contrasting against the dark russet color and dotting it with gleams of white and ice. Gavin pulled Michael close to his side, planting another kiss on his head. “It’s beautiful, ‘innit?” he murmured, smiling as a snowflake landed squarely on the tip of his nose. “Let’s get a taxi out of here.” 

Michael turned to face him, his expression suddenly dark with concern. “Are you sure your parents are gonna want me to stay?” he asked with a frown. “Like, do they know?” 

Gavin chuckled. “Yes, Michael, I’ve told them about us,” he replied softly, relieved to see Michael’s expression soften into a smile. “They’d be delighted to know that you surprised me here. Also, it’s not like they can just tell you to go home.” 

Michael giggled, clutching Gavin’s hand tighter in his grip and following behind him as the boy walked towards the pick-up curb, waving his hand about in the efforts to attract a taxi. Gavin couldn’t feel his cheeks, and he didn’t know if it was from the bitter cold or from the fact that he hadn’t been able to stop smiling since he had seen Michael’s freckled face standing in front of him. It all felt like a dream, and Gavin never wanted to wake up. 

It didn’t take long for a taxi to swerve towards the spot where Michael and Gavin were clutching each other for warmth. Gavin had noticed that his dark blue scarf that had been tucked around his neck was now wet with melted snow, and would probably start to chill his neck after a few minutes. Luckily, the backseat of the taxi was warm, and Gavin breathed a sigh of relief as he told the cab driver his address. He felt his heart beat in a steady, love-induced rhythm as Michael leaned against him, resting his head on his shoulder.

“I hope you like my family,” Gavin murmured in a soft voice, glancing down at Michael’s eyelashes that were slowly drifting closed. “Even if you don’t, you’ll love Lloyd.”  


Gavin felt Michael’s cheeks move with a smile against his chest. “I’m sure I’ll love them,” he responded, his voice weary from the travel and jetlag he was experiencing. “I can’t wait to meet Lloyd and see if he’s as fat as you say he is.”

Feeling as if all the worries of the world were melting away like the snow on his scarf, Gavin leaned his head against the chilled window of the cab and watched the snow paint the landscape in a delicate sheet of white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> getting close to the end!!


End file.
